MuType Chronicles Book 2: Terraforce
by LLSmoothJ
Summary: Following the lead to her birth parents, Bonnie heads to Newport to find her real family. But what awaits her when she gets there?
1. Welcome To Newport! You're His What?

**Chapter 1:** Welcome To Newport! You're His What?

"So this is it…"

With only a small red bag in hand, Bonnie stood at the baggage claim area as she waited for the conveyor belt to activate. Just how long did it take for a bunch of suitcases and bags to be transferred from the plane to here anyway? It was ridiculous! Some people were in a hurry to get to their destination! Whether to be there for a new mother just about to give birth, or to save a poor soul from losing everything! Still, she can't exactly fault them for being so slow too much. The distance from the gate to baggage claim was quite far, after all.

Bonnie glanced towards her traveling partner, who was in the middle of a conversation on his cell phone. From the tone he was speaking, it was quite hectic. She honestly hoped that she didn't inconvenience him in some way. She scolded herself for her stupidity of even thinking that question. Of course she did! She just managed to come with him unannounced and practically forced him to inviting her to stay at his place, just like she did with Tara. Hopefully he could come up with some explanation to tell his parents. He was practically the king of all Ass Pulls, after all.

Still, this was likely to be different from Middleton, not to mention that she would practically be on her own. Sure she had Zach to help her, but he probably had his own problems to deal with and not just as "Zach Asters." Most of all, where was she to start? The only thing Wade gave her to go on was the location of her birth. Her real birth records were either nonexistent or someone made sure to get rid of them to avoid any suspicion. Needless to say, she had her work cut for her. She was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of bells ringing.

"Call ya back, Mom." Zach placed his cell away, "Our ride's on our way! And from the sound of it, looks like they're finally bringing in our luggage!"

"Finally!" Bonnie crossed her arms. The mediocrity of this so-called service was embarrassing. Was it really so cold out there that they couldn't work faster?

"Let's just grab our bags." As the two approached the conveyor belt, they watched as an assortment of suitcases were rotated in a circle. Upon seeing a medium-sized suitcase with a burgundy stripe in the middle, Zach reached out for it. "Well that was fast!"

"Still not fast enough if you ask me." Bonnie frowned.

"It wasn't exactly a small flight, y'know!"

"All I know is that they better not lose anything." As she watched on, more and more passengers received their bags as Bonnie's continued to be missing. "What is taking so long?"

"Do you have some super secret files in there or something?" Zach raised a brow at her continuously–irritating impatience. It wasn't like they were in a rush.

"After all the horror stories I've heard, I trust the airlines as much as I can throw them." Bonnie had paid good money for her possessions and she would be damned if she lost them because of a bunch of incompetent idiots who couldn't do their jobs. Within moments she spotted a fair-sized gray suitcase, "Took them long enough."

Reaching over, Zach grabbed the suitcase as he brought it to the carpeted floor. "There we are. Now let's head-"

Bonnie shook her head, "That's not all…"

"What?"

"I have more stuff coming." She explained, much to her friend's frustration.

"You can't be serious…" For a girl who was supposed to be visiting, she sure as hell managed to bring a lot of stuff with her!

"I have a lot of accessories! Sue me!"

Zach raised a brow, "Didn't Connie and Lonnie trashed all of your stuff?"

"How'd you think I managed to replace all of them so quickly?" She grinned, "Let's just say that we're even now."

"Okay, but you're carrying it all!" Zach placed another one of her suitcases onto the floor.

"You're kidding!"

"What'd you think was going to happen, me carrying your suitcases like your own servant boy?"

"I would like you to, please?" Fluttering her eyelashes, Bonnie smiled towards him, "Please?"

Zach took _one more_ of Bonnie's suitcases from the conveyor belt while glaring towards her, "I'm only carrying this and my own suitcase. You're on your own, otherwise!"

She sighed, "Fine…"

"Hey, you're the one who bought like three suitcases! Aren't you a bit over-packed for someone who's supposed to be visiting?"

"It's not like you're paying the expenses, so it shouldn't be that much of an inconvenience, if at all!" Bonnie stated, "And besides, someone's gotta see all the nice outfits I bought!"

"Oookay…" Hearing vibration on the side of his waist, Zach unhooked his phone from his belt, "Hello? Eric, what are you-You're here already? Sweet, we'll be right out!"

Bonnie watched him place his phone away, "That's our ride I assume?"

"Yeah, let's go!" The question now was how they were going to fit all four of their suitcases inside. Given that his brother was here, at least it was possible they would be riding in the Journey. Hopefully it didn't have anything inside already.

Grabbing the two handles of the suitcases, Bonnie pulled them behind her as she followed Zach, who carried her third one as well as his own. This was it. There was no turning back at this point. Still, here she was. Inside a new city in a new state, even a new time zone! Just like before she made that fateful call, this would either be the best decision in her life, or the worst! Hopefully, _he_ would stand by her. He was the only person she knew here! Upon reaching outside at the pickup, they saw what appeared to be a red SUV pulling up nearby. Upon the door to the back popping open, the door to the driver seat opened, revealing a young black man stepping out. Upon first glance, he seemed to be somewhat shorter than Zach. Dressed in a pair of khakis and a collared button-up shirt under a heavy black coat over a navy sweater – a lot snazzier than Zach's usual T-shirt and jeans look!

"Welcome back to the Ocean State!" He said, slapping his brother's hand before embracing him. "How's the Rockies been treating ya?"

"Eh, it's okay! The people are nice, but it's pretty dull there." Zach stated, causing a snort from the brunette behind him.

"Dull? P'sheah right!"

The younger brother noticed her, "Who's she?"

"Eric, this is Bonnie! Bonnie, this is my bro Eric!"

"Nice to meet you Bonnie!" He turned to Zach, "Does Dad know about -"

"Already talked to them both. They know she's coming."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, "I'm not intruding, am I?"

"Don't worry. We have a spot set up for you," Zach assured, walking towards the SUV, "I'm driving."

"Like hell you are!" Eric frowned, "I trust you behind the wheel as much as I can throw you!"

"Oh c'mon! Are you still-"

"Yes, I am still bitter over the ride home from Studio 5!" He turned to Bonnie, "Have you _seen_ how this guy drives? It's a miracle we've only got a speeding ticket once!"

"Only because you were screaming the whole way!" Zach explained, "Seriously, he was waking up half the block with his yelping!"

"No offense Zach, but I think I'll feel a bit safer with Eric behind the wheel!" Bonnie stated, ending the argument between brothers.

With a satisfied smirk, Eric entered the driver's seat as Bonnie went Shotgun. Only for an arm to block her way…

"I don't think so." Zach stated. He already lost one seat, he wasn't losing another.

"Fine…" She frowned as the two moved to place the luggage in the back of the vehicle. Now loaded and ready to depart, the teens secured themselves inside as the Journey soon speed off.

"So, you guys have lived her since… forever, huh?" Bonnie stated.

"Yep, born and raised." Eric stated, "Newport's a nice city to grow up in. It's quiet, peaceful, and it's clean." He then sighed, "At least until the Mu-Types came and took over. While the city is clean for the most part, these days you can't be too careful! One moment you could be minding your own business while at the next some wolf guy jumps you from behind. Or you get blasted away by a gust of wind that would otherwise be impossible, given the calmness of the weather. The sooner the Mu-Type initiative gets approved, the better."

"You really think it's the solution?"

"It's better than what we have now!" Eric stated, fully in support of this act from the government. Much to Zach's chagrin…

"But what about the Mu-Types who aren't causing any harm? Or even those who are trying to help out against those who are ruining the city?" Bonnie reminded about the more "good" Mu-Types. Omega Strike in particular.

"Please. One good one doesn't erase a bad one, especially at their frequency, even more when one can basically melt a door just by thinking it! And if you're talking about those vigilantes, then they're even worse! The fact that we're not even sure they're on our side is the least of our worries, given how strong they are. Not to mention one of them had already showed her support towards Xanthos!"

Bonnie noticed Zach flinch at hearing the last part. That must've been rough to be critiqued roughly, and from your own _brother_ no less. Still, Eric did have a point about this. Well at least she wasn't a Mu-Type anymore, so the initiative didn't matter to her that much, as selfishly cruel as it was to believe that… Still, she was worried about him.

"Well anyway, enough about Mu-Types…" Eric decided to change a subject to a more positive (read: interesting) one. "So how did you two meet?"

Zach took the initiative, "We met at school! Nothing special really…"

Bonnie scoffed, "_Nothing_ special? He bumped into me and you wanna know what the first thing he said to me? He complemented me on my perfume! _My perfume_! The guy wouldn't even look at me! I had to snatch his schedule from him just to get him to acknowledge me! Can you believe how rude he was?"

"That's Zach alright… The only way for sure you can get that guy's attention is by talking about fighting!" Eric scoffed, "I mean seriously, is that all he even thinks about?"

"You know I'm sitting right here, right?" He reminded. Smack talk about him, he could tolerate, but doing so while acting like he wasn't there? That was the coward's way…

About 40 minutes or so later, the car pulled up to a fair-sized house. It was two-story, so at least it wasn't small, Bonnie hypothesized. Judging from the open garage door, they would be the only ones home. "So where are your parents?"

"Working!" Both Asters said in stereo, much to Bonnie's surprise. Seeing as how seemingly different they were, it was nice to see that they were capable of being on the same wavelength…

"Dad's at the office while Mom's at the lab," Eric informed. "They won't be home until late."

"So we have the house to ourselves?" A mischievous grin formed on the brunette's face.

"Not exactly! Teagan's probably here."

Zach stroked his chin, "How has the little firecracker been though all these months?"

He sighed, "I was hoping with you gone she'd come to her senses! But with that exchange student, she seemed to become even worse!"

Bonnie blinked, "What? Was she some kind of delinquent?"

"Might as well be…" Eric sighed, driving into the carport. "She fights so much that I'm surprised that she hasn't been expelled yet!"

"Here we go…" Zach rolled his eyes, knowing _exactly_ what was coming.

"She has a reputation and an image to uphold! Not for herself, but as a member of this family her actions are a reflection of our father! It's bad enough _this one_ got expelled and had to go to public school! It was a miracle Dad's political career recovered."

This new information intrigued her, "Expelled? Is there something you failed to mention, Zach?"

"Hey, he was picking on a kid, so I had to talk to him. Then he started to get physical and…" A smirk formed on the dreadlocked boy's face. "Let's just say he talked a good game yet couldn't live up to his bloated expectations."

"They had to wire the guy's mouth shut because of you!" Eric reminded with a glare.

"He attacked me first? What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and take it? I'd just end up being his bitch for life! Or I should just be like you and suck up to everyone who's a threat to me? After all, like some people, it's better to hide behind a book than to do something about a blatant injustice!"

"And that's why while you'll be in bars getting into fights every night, I'll be moving my way up in politics!"

"Okay, enough family drama!" Bonnie sighed, feeling a migraine from the arguments. "So, who's going to help me with my stuff?"

"Well?" Eric glanced at Zach, "She's your guest!"

"Why don't _you_ give her a hand," He retorted. "I got my own stuff to take care off!"

"Oh just grab a bag, will you! Show our guest some courtesy!"

Bonnie couldn't help but smile at how much of a gentleman Eric was being. Unlike his brother, who would've made her carry all of her stuff in by herself! She was a delicate flower, damn it! She shouldn't have to bring her own bags in! She couldn't help but show a hint of satisfaction on her face as she watched Zach dragged one of her suitcases on its wheels while carrying his own. Eric, on the other hand took both of them. Leaving her only to carry her bag! Things were already going well for her here. "So, where will I be staying?"

"You'll be staying in Teagan's room." Zach stated as the trio entered the house, already walking upstairs. "At this time, she should be home by now."

"So what is she like, anyway?"

"Oh, she's a nice girl! You'll love her!" Once up to the second floor, Zach released the handle of Bonnie's bag to open his own door. "Go on, introduce yourself!"

She blinked, "C'mon, do you really expect me to walk up to her room and just-"

"It'll be okay!' He waved off, shutting the door behind him, as he left Bonnie by herself.

"Zach's nonchalant attitude may be annoying, but Teagan is pretty nice." Eric sighed, "Once you get to know her…"

'Why do I get the feeling this won't go so well…' Taking a deep breath, a reassuring glance from the younger brother motivated her to knock on the door. Hopefully she wasn't a total bitch, knowing her luck with siblings… "Er…Hello?"

"Let me…" Eric moved in as he knocked on the door – much harder and more rapid than Bonnie's. "Hey Teag, open up!" Turning back, "She's probably wearing headphones…"

"IT'S OPEN!" The voice behind the door shouted as the two glanced at each other before opening the door. Inside laid back a young girl on top of a full-sized bed. Upon first glance, she noticed her thin-braided hair tied back in a pony tail as well as quarter-length jeans and white socks. Despite a book being held close to her, Bonnie was still able to see a green tank top through the space between her chest and book. Judging by the headphones, she had no interest in the outside world – or inside for that matter.

Eric sighed, "Teag, could you at least show some respect and say hi to our guest?"

She rolled her eyes, "Fine…" Pressing pause on her iPod, she lazily flung herself off the bed as she glanced at the brunette in her room. "So you're the girl who's staying here for a while?"

"Yeah…" Bonnie decided to be polite, "I'm Bonnie, nice to meet you."

"Hmm…" Teagan took the opportunity to examine their guest. Wearing a simple white shirt under a black winter coat and form-fitting jeans, Bonnie noticed a few of the braided strands in the caramel-skinned girl's hair were dyed purple. "Knock yourself out…"

She scoffed, "Rude much?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I just have a lot of makeup work to get done." Crawling back onto the bed, Teagan grabbed her book as she resumed her activity from before.

"You probably wouldn't have so much to do if you wouldn't have blown off your homework assignments!" Eric reminded. "But no, you _had_ to spar with Hoshi."

"Hey, he had some pretty good moves!" She shrugged, "I had to fight him at least once!"

'My god, she's just as obsessed as Zach!' Bonnie wondered. Was the whole family a bunch of warmongers with Eric being the exception? Or were _those two_ the exceptions? Given her toned arms and legs, she definitely looked like someone who could beat her into submission if looked the wrong way.

…

"_So she came with you, did she?"_

"That's the gist of it." Looking into overhead mirror, Zach examined the scar near his eye. It was quite a close call with that kick – especially in heels. A centimeter closer and that would've been his eye. "Still, I doubt she's here just because she wanted to see me."

"_Whatever she's up to, I'm sure you'll figure it out. I mean, it's not like she's come up with some super secret plan of world conquest or anything, right?"_

"Eh, it would be ridiculous, even if she could pull it off. It's not like she's in Middleton anymore. I mean, no friends, no family… the girl's basically alone with no resources at all! …Besides me, of course."

"_And even _that_ is debatable."_

"Thanks for the commentary Commander Contrarian!"

"_I'm just saying what you need to hear. Especially since she knows your secret, she still has the ability to cause some damage."_

"Whatever… I'll keep that in mind while dealing with her."

"_Okay Zach, but remember that this _is_ the girl who drugged you out of pettiness. You remember the story about the Farmer and the Viper? As well as the story about the Frog and the Scorpion?"_

"Did I ever mention that I think both of those stories are complete loads of crap?" "Being in its nature to do bad things" was nothing more than an excuse to justify such behavior. Anyone could change for the better if they put in the right amount of effort. Not to mention with the right amount of support…

"_Okay, but don't go crying to me when you get a knife lodged in your back –_again_!"_

"I'll talk to you later, Cas. Need to check up on how my lil' sis is treating our guest!" With a click, Zach placed the cordless phone back on the hook. Hopefully Teagan wasn't grilling Bonnie too badly. Leaving his room, he walked over toward Teagan's. Seeing that the door was open with no one inside, they were probably downstairs. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Quickly moving downstairs, he saw that the large TV was on in the living room. Only to find Bonnie, Eric, and Teagan all watching television! 'At least everyone's having a good time.'

Seeing that they were occupied at the moment, Zach returned to his room before opening a window, 'Hopefully they won't notice me gone…' Eying a particular device on his wrist, he proceeded to move through the now-open window before measuring his take-off…

…

"So how often do you guys have the house to yourselves?" Bonnie asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn from a white bowl on the coffee table.

"Usually from seven to five," Teagan explained. Sometimes Mom comes home early. Otherwise, it's just Eric and me."

"Just you two? What about Zach?"

"He works at the Shoppe after school. …Or used to, given he had to leave that to go to Middleton. I think he can get it back."

"Zach may be a warmongering fool, but at least he has the decently to get a job." Eric glanced at his sister, "Unlike _some_ people…"

She raised an eyebrow, "And what do you do as a responsible member of this family?"

"Please, I have an internship at City Hall! Dad managed to put in a good word for me, and I start next week. After that, I'll move on further into politics. By the time I'm 30, I would've been the mayor of Newport, governor then senator of Rhode Island. And not too long after that, Vice President of the free world!" Eric placed his hand behind his head with a smile of satisfaction. "When I become 35, I'll start my campaign for Presidency."

"You really think that's all going to happen?" Teagan scoffed, "Better men have tried and failed!"

"Well they're not better than me, obviously."

"You seem to be so sure of yourself!" Bonnie noted.

"Hey, when you've been studying politics for a while, things tend to catch on. Having a dad whose apart of the city government also helps…"

"While you're sitting in an office all day, I'll be out actually seeing the world." Teagan stated.

"And what do you plan on becoming?"

"I'm going to become an international sensation! I'm going to become a professional MMA fighter, which will lead to traveling around the world and taking on the world's best fighters!"

Eric scoffed, "Please! If you want to see the world, why not strive to become a diplomat? At least then you'll actually make a contribution to the world!"

"You seem to have it in for any forms of physical fighting!" Bonnie noted. Eric probably had a thing against boxing and wrestling.

"You mean glorified barbarism? All it does is brings out the worse in people." As if on cue, Eric received a white sneaker to the head. "Case in point…"

"ANYWAY…" Teagan went to change to subject, "Bonnie, so where did you and Zach meet anyway? I mean you said that you're friends, but – I'm sorry, I know it's rude and all, but you don't seem to be the type Zach hangs around with? Unless…" As rude as it was, she couldn't help but feel that Bonnie was a bit too snooty to have similar tastes as her big bro. Otherwise…

"Unless what?" Bonnie couldn't believe she'd even entertained that thought. Seriously… her and _Zach_? Being friends with him was one thing, but dating him? She wondered how anyone can put up with that.

"Unless you're his stalker!"

"WHAT?" Bonnie blinked, "No! _God_ no! That's not it at all!"

"Then tell us!"

Eric sighed, "Teagan…"

"No, I wanna know!" Zach comes back and brings a gal pal along with him? Like hell it was a coincidence! "Out with it Bonnie: What's your deal with Zach?"

"Look, we're just friends, alright?" She knew she was a guest here, but Bonnie was just about ready to sock one in the younger girl's mouth. Was it really any of her business what her relationship with Zach was? …Okay dumb question, but did she really have to pry so much? Still, she didn't help but feel that Teagan wasn't going to stop until she gets the answer she wanted…

**Location: Undisclosed**

"How are things in the East?"

"Could be better, that's for sure…" Sighing, Saber watched yet another report of a Mu-Type attack. This time a pack of rabid wolfmen attacking a vacationing couple! Of all the things that had happened within the past few days, this was the last thing they needed. It was already bad enough the mayor is considering passing the new initiative against Mu-Types, but events like these are what may convince the governor to adopt this idea. Hell, even the president himself may be more than willing to declare open season on them. Forget not all of them being as deranged and dangerous as Xanthos and his ilk, how about those who couldn't defend themselves? Those who were worse off than they were before they became Mu-Types? Someone who can shatter glass such as windows and casings within the sound of their voice? That would raise concern. But someone with scaly skin? "I'm surprised they've managed to stop them without causing much damage, knowing how riled up they can get!"

"Kittina and Machpunch know the situation at hand and realize that it would be in our best interests to stay on the people's good side." Mindflare explained, "It's not too long before it comes down to the big decision."

"You're right…" Saber shook her head, "We already have more than enough to worry about. Xanthos is gone, big deal. Knowing him, he'll be back within a month. Terra and Ryzin are both still out there, double for V-Ray. And god knows _she_ is out somewhere as well… The Beast Mu-Type factions are coming closer and closer to declaring war on each other – _again_! Not to mention what's happening outside of Newport…"

"We'll just have to stay vigilant. Xanthos may be gone for now, but that doesn't mean that he has any less followers. Fortunately, X has returned so now we won't be short-handed.

At hearing the sound of a sliding door, "Speaking of whom…"

"Just arrived and already you're talking about me." The masked Mu-Type stated as he entered.

"You couldn't have come at a better time." Mindflare explained, "I trust I do not need to brief you on current events?"

"Saber kept me up to speed during my time in Middleton. Still, I'd feel better knowing the rest of Xanthos' crew is out of the equation. At least until this whole initiative falls though."

"What about your dad?" Saber reminded, "You could try talking to him about this."

He sighed, "We've been through this. Out of anyone, my dad's one of the biggest supporters for this plan! And even if I did talk to him, he'll start to get suspicious. I'm surprised I've managed to keep it from him this long. Pops and I already butt heads enough as it is…"

"Trying to deal with the problem here would be simple enough. But given that we do not fully know what became of the Xenocide back in Middleton, we'll have to assume the worse." Mindflare reminded. "With Xanthos' resources, the whole world could be filled with Xenocide within a matter of months. And while we do have some of the other Mu-Types who are willing to lend a hand, we all can't be everywhere."

"What about Kim?" Saber reminded, "She's a Mu-Type right?"

"True, but I doubt she'd be much help to us." X informed, "Thanks to Xanthos, she's become quite a base breaker within the media. It's all down 33-33: Those who still see her as hero, and those who see her as just another Mu-Type or worse, a Xanthos Sympathizer. Still, Kim does have some resources of her own that could be of use."

"Her webmaster, Wade was it? I'm sure he has some interesting tech that could give us a hand. And what about those other girls that became Mu-Types? They're Kim's friends, right?"

"Marcella, Liz, and Crystal could be formidable allies. Fighting them at the warehouse showed they had potential." He voice became lower, "Hope, maybe…"

"And what about that S-Rank Mu-Type? Tara was it?"

"Impossible." Mindflare stated, "Knowing her abilities, or what they may become, even the slightest demonstration could make her an even bigger target. Knowing how recently they've awakened, I doubt they have any idea about sensing energy signatures, much less how to hide theirs."

X let out a sigh, "We'll talk more about this later. But for now, I have to get back."

Saber glanced, "Bonnie?"

"Bonnie." He confirmed with a nod, "I like the girl and all, but I wouldn't trust her alone with my family for a minute."

"Think they'll interrogate her?"

"Actually, it's them I'm worried about. Bonnie isn't exactly the most… considerate person. And knowing Teagan, I doubt she'd be patient enough to put up with her."

"Well, don't get too caught up! You have other things to worry about."

"I know…" X sighed, "I need to see if I can get my job back."

"There should be an opening. Marla did say she was going to keep a spot open for you when you came back."

"Yeah, but even she could do so for so long." X proceeded to leave, "That's the first thing I'm doing when I get back home."

After he was gone, Mindflare turned to Saber, "This girl who is staying with him, Bonnie, what is she like?"

Her eyes narrowed, "She looked too familiar for my liking, if you ask me. Why you ask?"

"I couldn't help but notice you tense up. All I've seen of her was when she was unconscious so I couldn't get a fair evaluation of her."

"Well, let's just say she already has a major strike against her. …Well, two actually. I won't say anything about it, but you'll have to talk to him yourself." She sighed. She really hoped X knew what he was doing.

**Asters Residence**

"…And then he turns around, only to get a punch in the face!" Bonnie laughed as she told the story of Zach's "adventures" in Middleton.

"No way!" Teagan's eyes were wide in shock. Usually Zach would've dodged the blow knowing him, but this? This was interesting to say the least.

"Way! The fool didn't see the large fist coming! He did say that he had a headache." She scoffed, "Like that's an excuse… Just like that! All that big talk for nothing! Of course, it's nothing compared to when he got floored on his ass by some-"

"I _know_ you better not be talking about failing to deliver, _Bon-Bon_!"

Her eyes narrowed at hearing that irritating nickname, "Don't call me Bon-Bon."

Teagan was the first to notice the new arrival. "Zach, hi! Welcome home!"

Zach felt her pulling him down into a hug, "It's great to be back. Especially since I can now sleep in my own bed."

"And with great timing, too! It's been dull since Hoshi went back to Japan. I mean I've met some pretty kickass fighters, but wow. You should've seen in him action!"

His eyes widened in shock, "What, you mean we had a fighter in our house and I missed it! Man…"

Eric scoffed, "He wasn't that great…" Hoshi was a nice guy, but if he was an expert politician, then he would've been worth the hype his siblings were giving him.

Bonnie faux-pouted, "Aww… Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find someone who can kick your ass. Or you could just call Big Mike!" She snickered as his siblings joined in.

Zach rolled his eyes, "I take it you're doing okay?"

"Mmmhmm!" Rising to her feet, Bonnie let out a smile as she grabbed his arm, hooking it with hers. "Even better now that you're here."

He raised a brow, confused, "…Why are you latching on to your arm?"

"Yeah Zach!" Eric agreed, "I mean you two are dating right?"

"Eh, we've just managed to get use to each other and already she's staying at my-" He blinked, the words finally registering in. "Wait what?"

* * *

Bonnie has finally arrived in Newport and now has told Zach's family that she is his girlfriend? Will this prove to be beneficial in her goal, or will it backfire and raise even more suspicion from his family?

**Next Chapter:** Zach takes Bonnie on a tour of Newport. When they go to a local Ice Cream hangout, what awaits the brunette from Middleton?

**Chapter 2:** Friend from Middleton! A Startling Discovery!


	2. Friend From Middleton!

**Chapter 2:** Friend From Middleton! A Startling Discovery!

Zach was beyond speechless…

It was only a minute ago he had just returned home (unnoticed, of course), and now he was met with a shocking discovery. Courtesy of Miss Bonnie Rockwaller, apparently… 'Just what did this girl do now?'

"Zach, why didn't you say that she was your girlfriend?" Eric chided, as thoughts quickly ran though Zach's head.

"Eheheh…" Zach scratched the back of his head, "What can I say, it's a secret!" He wrapped an arm around Bonnie, hugging her close towards him. "And this is my secret girlfriend." Glancing down towards her with a slight glare, "So secret that I didn't know…"

"What can I say? I just couldn't stand to be away from my Zachy-Wachy!" Bonnie nuzzled herself towards Zach's chest before whispering, "Don't get any funny ideas."

"You're the one who's pushing it…" First she pushed her way into staying with him at his house and now she declared that they were dating? Just what was she up to? If he was going to play along with this farce, she better give him a good explanation why.

"I just hope you two don't go too wild!" Eric reminded, "You're already in hot water with Dad as it is!"

"Oh believe me, there won't be _anything_ wild between us!" Bonnie assured. 'Me doing _that_ with Asters? It'd be a miracle if I could suppress my urge to vomit.'

"I'm about to head out into the town! Need to see if I can get my job back!" Zach stated, annoyance showing on his face as he tugged Bonnie along, "Let's go, _Honey_!"

"Hey! Rude, much?" She complained as the two Asters siblings watch their older brother and his girlfriend depart.

"Hmm…" Teagan showed an expression that hinted suspicion.

"Something wrong, Teag?" Eric asked.

"There's something about Zach's girl. Y'know, I'm sensing major Déjà vu with her."

He nodded, "I have to agree. She reminds me a lot of his _last_ girlfriend…"

"I just hope she doesn't turn out be _like_ his last girlfriend."

…

"Mind telling me why you had to pull me out like I was your personal property?" Bonnie frowned as the two walked away from the house on the sidewalk before smirking, "Or is it because you had enough humiliation."

"First, I need to get out from the house and get some air." Zach stated, "And to see if I can get my job at the Shoppe back."

"So you _do_ have a job. I thought you just lounge at home all day after school!"

"Believe me, knowing what I do every day I hardly have enough time to lounge as it is."

"Okay, so why did I have to come along?"

Zach ran a hand through his braids, "For one, I thought it'd be a good time to give you the tour around Newport."

"Oh how sweet!" Bonnie smirked, "Would be even sweeter if we took the car rather than having to walk around!"

"Hey, walking's fun!" Zach shrugged, "We both can use it!"

Bonnie blinked. "Wait, what? What do you mean _I_ can use it? Are you saying that I've gain weight?"

"I didn't say it! You did!"

"You implied it!"

"No, I just said we both can use it! Unless there's something you know that I don't. It never hurts to have more cardio…"

"Well I'll have you know that I happen to have excellent cardio! I _am_ a cheerleader, in case you've forgotten!" Bonnie paused, "Ok, _was_… But that's not the point!"

"Anyway…" Zach went to change the subject, "We're going to take a tour of Newport! Just to show you all the hot spots!"

"Sounds good to me," She shrugged, "I'll have to know them anyway."

"Which reminds me…" Zach gave an accusing glance. "I was going to keep quiet about it as I don't want to get my sibs involved, but that "girlfriend" stunt drove me to this. So out with it, Bonnie!"

She blinked, "Excuse me?"

"As much as I like you being here and showing you around my neck of the woods, I doubt that you came here because you enjoy my company. So let's get down to it. Why are you _really_ here?"

"Zach, what are you talking about?"

"We've been here for about three hours and not once did I even see you call home to let your family know that you made it." Zach knew Bonnie had issues with her family, but she was at least in good terms with her mom. Surely she would've called her to let her know that she was alright!

"What? You mean my _foster_ family?" Bonnie gave a slight glare. She didn't know why Zach was giving her the riot act all the sudden? "And frankly, I don't think that it's any of your business!"

"Look! I've already put my ass on the line just by bringing you here! So I think that I might have some entitlement to know what your business is here!" They seemed to be fine with it, but Zach wasn't sure just how much they really care for the fact that he brought some girl from Colorado with him. She could only stay with him for so long before people started to complain. After a few moments of intense staring…

Bonnie scoffed, "Fine…" The only thing she could hope now was that Zach didn't get pissed. "The reason why I came here, the real reason… It's…"

Zach heard a soft mumble from her mouth, "Louder."

"I CAME HERE TO FIND MY REAL PARENTS, ALRIGHT!" She yelled. Hopefully she wasn't loud enough for the neighbors could hear her.

"Wait hold up!" Zach raised an eyebrow, "Are you telling me that your parents, your real parents, live here?"

Bonnie nodded, "Months ago, I asked Kim's hacker, Wade, to run a search for me. He told me that it may take a while to do so, given that it could be anyone anywhere. Also that since he had other duties to attend to – namely stuff for Kim – it wouldn't be very high on his priority list. So I gave him a strand of my hair for him to scan, then gave him my cell number so he could let me know if and when he found a match."

"So your birth parents, they're in Newport?"

"He managed to narrow it down to here, yeah. He told me that it would be any day now when he'll let me know who I came from."

"So suppose you do find these parents. Are you sure that they'll be willing to accept you?"

"Of course they will! I'm their daughter, why wouldn't they?"

"Wouldn't you think if they really wanted you they would've searched for you all those years ago?"

"So what are you trying to say?" Bonnie was getting angry. Zach was supposed to be her friend, yet he seemed determined to foil her chances at finding a real family!

"I'm just saying that this family you're looking for may not be the perfect nuclear family you've been searching for. I mean there was a reason why you were put up for adoption, right? For all we know, your parents could've been irresponsible teenagers who cared more about partying and making out rather than taking care for a baby. I'm not trying to be a douchebag-"

"You're certainly doing a good job so far…"

"But I don't want you to get your hopes up only for them to crash and burn." Bonnie already felt betrayed by one family. She didn't need to be betrayed by another… "You probably came here from Middleton with no intention of going back, am I right?" Bonnie's nod was incentive for him to continue, "And what if this family you're looking for is dead, nonexistent, or even unwilling to accept you? What would you do then? I mean sure you might be able to stay with me. But only for so long! And I doubt you have enough money to make it on your own. Hell, do you even have enough for a trip back to Middleton?"

Bonnie looked down at her boots. In all of her excitement in finding a new family! In finally finding a permanent escape away from her so-called sisters from hell! Most importantly, possibly finding a way to get out from Kim Possible's shadow and possibly make it on her own. But now that Zach brought up the admittedly-realistic possibilities, perhaps she was just a bit too hasty. "I…"

"Look, let's just go on with the day just to make sure we're all settled. Then I'll help you out with finding your parents."

It took the brunette a moment to think about what he said and what he offered. "Okay, but I'm really gonna need you support for this." Find her parents would not be easy, and would probably be harder _after_ she found them. Therefore, she would need all the support she could get.

**Newport High School**

"Here we are! The premiere place of Higher Education!" Zach presented, putting as much dramatic flair as possible. Much to Bonnie's chagrin…

"It's just a school!" She stated as they were before a building. It was two-stories tall as it covered a fairly-large amount of acres. Upon Bonnie's examination, it was just as big as Middleton High. The football field was a few acres to the left of the building and the track field to the right.

"I'm trying to make this tour as exciting as possible. Just work with me, will ya?" Taking a deep breath, "Anyway, you got your standard football fields, gymnasium, track fields… At the cafeteria, every Friday they serve from Pizza Hut. Though there have been petitions for the school to switch to Domino's or even Papa John's."

'Could I actually go to this school?' She wondered. This school seemed similar to Middleton High. But it was the people that were the most important, particularly those of the popular crowd. Would she be able to fit in with them, or would she be an outcast? And seeing that the school was closed for the holiday, she wouldn't be able to get a look inside. Maybe she could come back later and get a sneak peak. "So this is where you guys go to school?"

"Just me and Teag," Zach explained. "Eric goes to the Perry Preparatory Academy."

She snickered, "I guess he's the favorite in the family."

"It's not what you think: I ended up getting expelled, and Teag wanted to go to a public school in the first place."

"You got expelled? Let me guess: Fighting?"

"The guy was acting like a big shot just because he had his daddy's money. Basically someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth! He started messing with some kid, making fun of his ears, and he asked him nicely to leave him alone. But he kept up to the point where he ended up crying, and that was when I was really growing tired of him. After I told him off, he landed a punch right in the nose! That was when I said 'to hell with it' and gave him the beating he should've gotten for his attitude years ago. Of course, Daddy's status as a major contributor to the school won over justice as I ended up kicked out of school after my first week. Then I ended up going to public school!"

"Your parents must've been really mad."

"My mom was more concerned for my safety." He sighed, "My dad, on the other hand… He told me that I just ruined an Asters family tradition, given that he, my mom, and both my older brother and sister went to Perry Prep. And when Teagan wanted to go to a public school, it was my fault once again. Never mind that she has a mind of her own. Go figure…"

'This is starting to sound like my family…' Bonnie took note. It seemed that she wasn't the only black sheep in the family. Still, at least his siblings seemed to at least give a damn about him, despite a few disagreements. But then again, what group of siblings didn't argue once in a while?

"Well, enough family drama. Let's move on, shall we? The trolley should be arriving in about a minute or so."

Bonnie followed along, "How often does it come?"

"Usually about every 15 minutes or so. And that depends on where you're going. While there are most spots where all trolleys stop in Newport, there are some places exclusive to different lines." Zach proceeded to explain, "The purple line, for example, is the one you should take if you're headed towards the shopping centers…"

**Downtown Newport**

"I still can't believe that you guys have a five-story mall." Bonnie said in amazement as she and Zach walked on the red-tiled walkway. She watched the various stores they walked by. A clothing store, an electronics store, an antique shop, it seemed to be a shop for everything and everyone.

"Sometimes I wonder how it was possible for us to have a mall period in our city. Then again, the mall has most of the things I need – Snack bar, arcade, sporting goods – so I really can't complain."

"All I know is that I'm really gonna get my shopping on!" Bonnie wondered if her sisters have realized that their credit cards were gone yet. Or if she should still use them, knowing the amount of trouble she could get into. Nevertheless, had it not been for the fact that she was still staying at Zach's, she would've shopped until she had dropped. Already, she was starting to like it here. Although, their way of travel could've been better. Back in Middleton she had her car. Not that she could use it anymore, mind you, but at least it would've helped her get around. Then again, considering the increasing traffic, it would be better off to walk after all. As she passed by a person who walked by, she could've sworn she saw a snake-like tongue poke out through his lips. "Was that a-"

"Shifter?" Zach replied, "They're people who use Xenocide to modify their appearance cosmetically. There are people who can manipulate the Xenocide to modify a single part of a person's body. You want cat-ears? You want an owl's nocturnal vision? It can be done. For a price of course…"

"And they pay people to do that?" Bonnie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That so can't be legal."

"It's not… But considering everything else that goes on here, it's not that surprising that it's on the bottom of the list of priorities. Go figure. Other than the freak factor, hardly anyone seems to mind. The Beast Mu-Types on the other hand…"

"Let me guess: They hate them?"

"That's putting it mildly." Zach scoffed, "The three major Beast Mu-Type factions barely have any respect towards each other, but they would all agree that the existence of Shifters are abominations that are a defilement of their very being and insults everything they stand for. I'm surprised they haven't met up and declared war yet. Then again, when your allies are people you can't stand to be around for five minutes without getting the urge to kill them…"

"I can relate to that…" Bonnie sighed. It was surprising she was able to handle being around Stoppable without wanting to smack him. Maybe she's gotten used to him during those past months back in Middleton. The fact that he hasn't spent much time with Kim helped too, she guessed. But still wouldn't pick him as her ideal friend, much less date. "So where are we going now?"

"We're heading to a little place called 'The Shoppe.'"

"'The Shoppe?'"

"It's a little hangout where most people like us chill and relax. And it's where I used to work before I came to Middleton."

"So you're looking to get your job back?"

"Bingo," He nodded. "Besides, they have, like, the best shakes in the world! I mean besides different, flavors, toppings, and sizes! They even have it where you can have shakes that can either be so thin they melt in your mouth or so thick that you have to eat 'em with a spoon! I mean seriously, you should try a shake or two!"

"Uhh…Okay…" Zach was starting to act very freaky. C'mon, it's just a milkshake!

"I'm telling ya, Bonnie! You haven't lived until you had one straight from The Shoppe!" Zach exclaimed as the two nearly reached their destination. Unknown to either of them, a pair of angry emerald eyes watched from a limo nearby…

'So he's got a new girlfriend, does he?' Their owner thought bitterly. It wasn't surprising that he didn't bother to call to announce his return. But why did it matter anyway? It was over, it was done with. Still, he could've at least waited before he picked up the first whore he found on the street, and a low-rent one at that! But whatever…

"Driver, let's go!"

As the black limo drove away, its owner continued to watch as the "lovely couple" entered the building. Hopefully the little whore knew she was getting into by dating the likes of him.

**The Shoppe**

"And here we are!" Zach took in a deep breath, letting the smell of cake, hamburgers, and chicken wings flow into his nostrils. "Ah, it's great to be back!"

Taking in the new surroundings, Bonnie examined the area. This place seemed a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. To her right she noticed the bar and kitchen, where the food was prepared, and within the bar's glass windows she could see various sweets. Donuts, cake, and of course Ice Cream! Speaking of which, it at least seem to have plenty of flavors. But it still wasn't Baskin Robbins, though. From hearing the sound of a fryer, Numetal music, and people chatting, she could see that this was a very busy place.

Speaking of people, Bonnie noticed a great variety of such here. From the jocks at a nearby table, to a clique of chatty girls near the window! Even the average geek squad could be seen here. What was this place, the melting pot of the social hierarchy? She wasn't sure if she liked it. Everyone seemed to get along with each other, despite their backgrounds. This was so not like in Middleton High. It was almost scary.

"So, what'cha think so far?" Zack nudged her, "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Actually, I don't know what to think! I mean this place is much louder than what I'm used to. And I'm not sure if I-Wait, did one of the geeks over there just greeted a cheerleader?"

"What about it?"

"I mean, just look at them? They're acting as if they know each other! And I know that-"

"I _know_ you're not bringing up the food chain!" Zach narrowed his eyes. This place was supposed to be a place where anyone and everyone can come in and relax. And he wanted it to keep it that way.

"I'm just saying. This is something I'm definitely not used to!" If they were back in Middleton, that geek would've been beaten down and that cheerleader would've been ex-communicated from the group or at least mocked. Given that she didn't brutally cut him down, first. It was like she was in bizarro-world!

"Anyway, this place is great for some good food and entertainment!" Zach continued, "And you've already seen the good food part. Now for the entertainment!"

"And where is this 'entertainment' you're shilling about?"

"Right upstairs! C'mon, I'll show ya! You'll see-"

"Zach!"

Hearing his name from behind the counter, he turned and saw from behind the counter a girl was closing a cash register. Most notably was her reddish-brown hair in low pigtails overlaying her shoulders, "Were you really going to come here without saying Hi – _again_? Not that it'd surprise me."

"Cassidy, hi!" He walked over, "So Marla got you here working today?"

"It was last minute! Laura had an emergency so Marla called me on my cell!" She noticed Bonnie, "So, you decided to bring _her_ along?"

"I was giving her a tour of the city! Decided to show her this place and to see about getting my job back."

"Zach, I know you weren't thinking about leaving me behind." As if on cue, Bonnie walked over to the chatting couple.

"Oh sorry! Anyway… Cassidy Snider, this is Bonnie Rockwaller!"

"-His girlfriend!" She cut in, wanting to remind him of their "status."

"Nice to meet ya, Bonnie!" She greeted, as the brunette couldn't help but notice a subtle sense of resentment in her eyes. "A little far from home, aren't you?"

"What can I say? I just couldn't bear to be without my Zacky-Wacky!" Bonnie pulled Zach into a hug, much to his chagrin.

"Now Bonnie, we talked about this 'Zacky-Wacky' thing…"

"Anyway Zach, Marla told me to tell you to meet her in her office." Cassidy stated.

"Busy day, huh?"

"Very! You don't have to worry much about getting your job back. We could use all the extra hands we can get!"

"Sweetness!" Zack walked through the walkway to behind the counter before heading to the manager's office, "Make sure Bonnie's taken care of!"

"What! But I'm-"

"I promise I'll make it up to you with a shake! Just make sure she doesn't get lost, 'Kay? Thanks!"

"Who said that I-" Sighing, "He does this every time…"

"He always tends to think rash, huh?" Bonnie observed.

"No more than _trusting_ the wrong people!" She stated. Though she didn't specify it, Bonnie could feel that she was referring to her. "So what are you really here for, Bonnie?"

"Excuse me?"

"I just find it to be a bit strange for Zach to have a girlfriend just like that. Let alone someone who he just met, much less someone who he previously had problems with."

'Did Zach tell her about us?' Bonnie wondered. Especially about a certain incident at Marcella's…

"Look, I know that people can change their ways. Some more likely than others! So, I'll tell ya what: If Zach really trusts you, I'll give you a chance."

Bonnie wasn't sure what to think about the situation. It hasn't been five minutes and already she wanted to throttle her. Just what was her problem, anyway? Still, given that this would be her new place of residence, it was good to make nice with the locals. "So you and Zach must be really close."

She scoffed, "We're not that close! Yeah, we're the best of friends, but it's not like we'd fall apart if the other wasn't there! Still, we're close enough not to want to see the other get hurt. Even if it would be the only way we'd learn…" She grabbed a note pad, "So, you hungry?"

Bonnie stroked her chin, "Actually, I could go for a milkshake, right now. Strawberry, in fact!"

"Great! And would you like a topping? Nuts? Chocolate? M&M's?"

"Just the shake will do. And can you make it not so thick as I hea-Wait a minute! Are you actually taking my order?"

Cassidy had already begun the process in making her shake, placing a few scoops of strawberry ice cream and a bit of milk inside a metal coup before placing it into a blender. "It's already being done, Bonnie! Don't worry, it's not gonna cost ya that much! You do have money on you, right?"

She scoffed, "Fine, I'll take the damn shake." She reached into her purse, "Might as well have a chicken sandwich while I'm at it."

Writing it down on the pad, "Done!" Cassidy returned to the register. "That'll be $8.50."

Bonnie handed over a $5, three $1 bills and 50 cents, "So how long it'll take."

"About five minutes at least." Cassidy handed her the receipt. "We'll call for you when your food is ready." She walked back to the blender, "Speaking of which, you can have your shake now."

Bonnie watched as the contents were poured into a plastic cup before being sealed by the lid. An added straw later and it was ready for her to drink.

"Here you go!" Cassidy gave Bonnie her shake, smiling. "Since you're the only one with an order we had to cook in the past hour, it shouldn't take that long."

"Good!" Bonnie took a quick sip for a taste test. "Not bad, not bad at all!" She turned to the cashier, "Tell Zach that I went upstairs, 'Kay?"

"No problem!" As she watched Bonnie walk off, Cassidy had to wonder about her. Already she's already almost got him killed and yet Zach still insisted on associating himself with her. Just what was her angle, anyway? Maybe she's jumping to conclusions, but Zach hasn't exactly been the best judge of character lately. His relationship with Raquelle was proof of that.

…

As she walked upstairs, Bonnie got a good look at the "entertainment" portion of the restaurant. Upon reaching at the end of the stairs, she saw a few billiards tables in front of her. To her right she saw a few ticket-based games such as shooting hoops, and to the left she saw arcade games such some zombie-shooting game. And there were two driving-game cabinets. To the left of that, she could've sworn she saw a DDR game.

Not interested in playing games, Bonnie took a seat at one of the tables near another counter. Turning around, she saw the fairly-large flat screen TV placed on a wall above…

"_I'm not one hun'red, not two hun'red, I'm five hun'red percent sho he's the father!"_

"_When it comes to five-month old DeShawn, Tyrell… You are _**not**_ the father!"_

A chuckle escaped her lips as she watched the would-be father jumping up and down, prancing like a fool. Seriously, this guy gets a show that continues to exploit the lowest common denominator for the sake of that same common denominator? And people wonder why TV's going the way of the dodo.

Sipping out of her milkshake, Bonnie noted how smooth it was. How relaxing and soothing it was. Not to mention the great taste. Still, she supposed she shouldn't drink it all before she got her food. Hopefully the chicken wasn't greasy. She knew that most restaurants cared about their food and all, but there were some who only cared about getting it done rather than making sure the food was at least passable for the Health Department.

"Man, as I was sayin'…"

Hearing voices, Bonnie knew someone was coming. Within a few moments, she saw a group of guys walking up stairs. She had no idea what they were talking about, and much less interest in finding out. Still, as long as she just minded her business and ignored them. Maybe they'd go away.

"Well now, boys! Look who we have here!"

'Oh god, they noticed me…' Not in the mood to get into any drama, she decided to ignore them as much as possible. If they were only going to say hi, then fine! With any luck, they would leave right now. …Yeah right…

She smelled cheetos and sweat as she felt a hand placed to hers, "Hey there, babe! Come here often?"

"You have got to be kidding me…" Bonnie wondered if this guy was serious. Looking at the guy, she noticed he was quite big and was wearing a letterman jacket. This guy was a jock, she took it.

"Owww, what's wrong, Babe? No need to be so cold like that!"

"Are you even listening to yourself?" She replied. Trying to be nice, but it was becoming more difficult as the conversation progressed. 'Is my sandwich done yet?'

"What's up? You think you're too good or sumthin?"

"Obviously…" In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best response Bonnie could have gone with. As all it did was perhaps make the guy angry. Then again, it was understandable. Trying to hit on a girl in the worst possible way, only to be humiliated, never mind said girl already making it clear that she wasn't interested? And in front of your friends, too! That would make anyone angry… She would soon be proven right as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon Babe…" He tried once more, only for his hand to be smacked away.

"Don't you and your loser squad have better things to do?" She snarked, not even bothering to be nice at this point! All she wanted was to enjoy her shake and maybe watch the Maury show. But this idiot and his two shadows had other ideas. Christ, she thought she escaped all of that after leaving Middleton! God knows she had enough of this crap from Brick! Unknown to her small grains of sand began to pour from the sleeves of her jacket. However, she was soon grabbed by her wrist, "Hey!"

"Look, I've tried to be nice to you! But you just had to act like a stuck-up bitch! I was going to give you a pass given that you're new, but screw it!" He turned to his two friends, "Mick, Ed! Time to show our gal pal how things are run on our turf!"

"No!" Bonnie struggle to break free, but his grip was just too tight! Not that he cared, given that he was obviously trying to rape her with his cronies taking turns. Balling her free hand in a fist, she threw a punch, only for another hand to grab her wrist. As she continued to struggle, more and more sand poured from her jacket. She couldn't believe this? How could she have let this happen? Her raped by these losers! She was stronger than that! However, as an unwanted hand approached the button on her jeans, his eyes widened in shock as the focus of his attention soon collided…

…

"Thank you, have a nice day!" Cassidy smiled as a customer grabbed a receipt and change from the processed transaction. She turned back to the metallic worktable as she saw Bonnie food, now ready and still hot. She sighed. It wasn't as if she wanted to hate her, but there was just something about her she didn't like. Whether if it was because of what she's done or was there something else. Still, it didn't hurt to be extra cautious of her. Nevertheless, she might as well call her down and let her know her food was ready.

"Well, I got good news for ya, Cas!"

Blinking, she turned to see a smiling Zach, "And what would that be?"

"You got tomorrow off! So you can just kick back and relax."

"Tomorrow? Then who-" She smiled, "Let me guess: She gave my shift to you?"

He nodded, "Turns out that I came back at the right time! Now I can start making some income again! There's this new 3-sectioned staff that I had my eye on for some time now…"

"Before you start talking about weapons, could you give Bonnie her food? You're going up there anyway, right?"

He shrugged, "Why not? It'll save time."

"Just don't go too wild with your new girlfriend! Marla may be lenient on a couple of things, but this is _still_ a family establishment."

"Believe me, there'll be nothing wild with her…" He sighed. Feeling that he was being used to further Bonnie's goals.

"Oh?"

"It's nothing. Well, better give my girl her food before she gets crank-"

"OH SHIT!"

"THAT BITCH'S CRAZY!"

Zach blinked at the screaming as he watched three guys rushing down the stairs, small amounts of sand dripping from their clothes. "The hell?"

Cassidy moved from behind the counter to get a better view of the situation, "What happened?"

"It's that girl, Man!" One of them yelled. The panic was clear in her voice. "We were just talking to her, and then she just flipped."

"Flipped?"

"Yeah! She started getting angry and shit, and sand started pouring out of her!"

Zach blinked, "Sand?"

Cassidy turned to him, "Zach, you don't think-"

"Way ahead of you! Only one way to find out!"

The trio watched the two head upstairs, "Man, are you crazy?"

"Maybe, but we have to make sure there isn't anyone else around!" Cassidy reminded.

"Fine man, it's you're funeral!"

As the two headed upstairs, Cassidy shook her head, "She's hasn't been here for a day and already she's causing trouble."

"Are you even sure that it's her?" Zach reminded, "It could be someone else for all we know."

"Oh get real! She's the only other person who went upstairs!" Upon reaching the stairs, "What in the name of-"

His eyes widened in shock, "N-no way!"

Her face full of shock and disbelief, Bonnie stood there, shaking… Surrounded by the dining area of the room covered in sand as she examined her hands… or where her hands would be as in their place was sand that poured from the sleeves of her jacket… "Wha… W-what's wrong with me…?"

* * *

Bonnie has discovered a startling discovery within herself. If she was given the Antidote, then what has happened to her?

Next Chapter: Showing signs of becoming a Mu-Type, Bonnie is taking to the headquarters of Omega Strike. But if she's been cured, then how are these signs possible?

**Chapter 3:** Enter Omega Strike! The Truth Behind Bonnie's Awakening!


	3. The Truth Behind Bonnie's Awakening!

**Chapter 3:** Enter Omega Strike! The Truth Behind Bonnie's Awakening!

…

…

"_Yes, I'm worried about him sometimes, but he always manages to come through."_

…

"_I know he's like that at times, but that's what I like about him."_

…

Blue eyes slowly opened as they adjusted to the lighting in their surroundings. Their owner searched around only for bewilderment to creep into her face. Wasn't she just at the Shoppe a moment ago and Zach and Cassidy just walked in on her? Now she was in a medium-sized metallic room of sorts. As if she was straight out of a sci-fi movie! …Was it all a dream?

"Oh! You've awakened!"

Hearing the voice, Bonnie sat upright before turning towards the source. Only to find a girl seated next to her. She seemed to be really young, but at least in her teens. Her eyes were a faded bluish color and her hair was long and platinum blonde. Judging by her pale appearance, she could've sworn she was frail and sickly. Her assumptions gained more support as she saw _where_ she was seated.

"What's wrong?" She asked, before she notice her eyes focused below her. "Oh, this? Don't let it bother you."

Bonnie shook her head, "Oh, nonono-NO! I wasn't-"

"It's okay! Really! It's nothing to be ashamed about."

Feeling awkwardness, Bonnie decided to change the subject, "Anyways, we might as well get acquainted with each other. I'm Bonnie."

"I'm Celestia. But you can call me Celeste. Everyone else does." She then asked, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Tired…" Bonnie flatly stated, trying to muster strength to turn herself to face her. "Where am I?"

"You're in our headquarters. You've must've really been through a lot!"

"That's putting it mildly…" What was that girl on? Of course she's been through a lot! She had to if she woke up in this place? Speaking of which, she had to find a way out! Had to find Zach! As she placed both feet to the floor, she felt the coldness rush into her feet… "What happened to my shoes?" She looked around, finally noticing a missing layer of clothing, "Where's my jacket?"

"We had to take them. For samples! Apparently you've produced a lot of sand after you've awakened, so there was plenty of it inside of your boots and coat."

"Awakened? Just what the hell are you talking about?" The realization began to register in her mind, "Wait, waitwaitwait… You think that I'm a Mu-Type?" She scoffed, "That's got to be some kind of joke!"

"I know this may be a shock to you. But you did indeed awaken. You are a Mu-Type."

"Look, I don't know what delusions you have, but believe me, I'm _so_ not a Mu-Type!" Bonnie stated arms crossed.

The younger girl sighed, "It's so heartbreaking, having to see them go through denials such as this. It all becomes worse when they realize…"

"Realize what?" Bonnie was starting to get angry. "Listen, I don't care what kind of evidence or theory you have I'm not a Mu-Type! I know I'm not! I feel perfectly fine! There's nothing freaky about me at all!"

"Is that so? Then surely you have an explanation for the sand on the second floor in the Shoppe!"

"Someone could've been playing a prank for all I know! Those three losers I met could've been behind it!"

"I have an ability to sense an energy signature that only Mu-Types have. And I sense plenty of it within you." Celeste sighed, seeing the denial on her face, "Bonnie, I know this may be hard to accept, but you must understand now before things get out of hand. You have awakened. You are a Mu-Type."

"But I'm not a Mu-Type! I'm not a Mu-Type!" She said defiantly. However, the more she said it, the less she believed it. "I can't be a Mu-Type… I just can't…"

"Bonnie…"

"I was supposed to have been cured of this! I was given the antidote after Xanthos blasted me with that Xenocide! And now you're telling me that I'm a Mu-Type freak?"

Hearing her voice cracking, Celeste could see the tears in her eyes. Becoming a Mu-Type was hard enough for most people. But believing to have been cured only to find out differently… She placed a hand on the weeping brunette's shoulder. "It'll be okay…"

Watching all of this through a one-way mirror, Mindflare let out a sigh. "So, the cure didn't work."

"Well that adds to the speculation that Mu-Types are the next step in evolution of humanity." Saber speculated, standing beside him. "The cure was supposed to do just that. Cure her of being a Mu-Type. But all it did was just repress the Xenocide within the DNA. It was as if it was a failsafe!"

"A failsafe that was easily broken when given the right amount of stress." X stated, eyes on Bonnie falling to her knees, head in her hand. "Like that incident back at the Shoppe. Still, it looks like that cure was ineffective after all."

"Ineffective…" Machpunch muttered, looking down towards his raised closed fist. "Unless…"

His three teammates' attention was caught, "Unless what?"

"Unless, the so-called cure wasn't the cure in the first place!" The redheaded behemoth explained. "Wasn't the girl given a high dose of Xanthos' new Xenocide?"

Saber's eyes widened, "And there's the fact that he willingly gave Kim Possible the antidote. Charade aside, there's no way in hell he would willingly hand over the antidote, especially knowing that the receiver was looking for any chance to stop his Mu-Type supremacy. Unless he did so for a reason…"

"Xanthos must've set some kind of failsafe within the Xenocide!" X's fist began to tighten as it shook, "Just in case Helix or anyone else manages to recover or duplicate the antidote. Whoever took it would be in for a brutal surprise."

"It gets worse. Xanthos used that Xenocide on himself as well as Bonnie. X and Quickstrike hit him with more from the chamber and he started to become unstable! If the amount Bonnie took in was even close to the amount he took…"

Mindflare closed his eyes. "We will have to run thorough tests! Examine every cell in her body! If even one cell is corrupted in the slightest…"

"So what are we going to do? Tell her what's goin' on with her body?" Machpunch asked.

"I'll tell ya what we're _not_ going to do: Lie to her about what's going on." X remembered the last time he kept something from her. Namely, about Kim being a Mu-Type. Granted, he had every reason in the world to believe that letting her know was a bad idea. The key to any friendship is trust. As high as the possibility of her worrying herself to death about her body, Bonnie may actually throw caution to the wind. It was simple logic. Wanting to protect someone was one thing, but don't treat them as if they were stupid. That would most likely drive them to do something stupid anyway, all in an attempt to prove that they weren't.

"X, do you think that's a good idea?" Mindflare advised, "For all we know she may not take the news well."

"It's better than finding out the hard way, thus being angry with us for knowing of the possibility all along yet keeping it from her!"

"C'mon X, think about for a second!" Saber stated, "Bonnie isn't exactly the rational type. I mean the reason why she got into this situation because of her pride and obsession with Kim Possible in the first place! What would you do if you were in her position? And don't say that you wouldn't get yourself into it in the first place, because nobody's perfect."

"Good question. I'd suppose anyone would freak out if they found out that their body was falling apart." X shook his head, "Thinking about it now, Bonnie has been losing some weight lately. Granted, she was never a big girl to begin with, but at least she looked like she actually ate. Now she's starting to look model-thin. _Really_ model-thin… I'm talking Skeletor-levels here. "

Saber closed her eyes, "Now that you mentioned it, each boot was filled with at least a centimeter of sand. And her socks had a few grains. You don't think…"

"Her body is starting to break down into sand!" Mindflare nodded, "We'll have to contact Dr. Helix."

"But isn't he still in Middleton, though?" Machpunch reminded.

"We could try his office. Maybe Gabriel has information that could help us. At this point anything would-" Acting upon his reflexes; a raise of his hand was enough to keep the glass shards and the thrown chair from colliding with the standing bodies as they were then slowly dropped to the ground.

"What the hell happened?" Machpunch tensed, preparing for the fight as the four soon found out the source of this incident…

"THAT BITCH!" Bonnie shrieked, throwing a chair onto a nearby bed. "THAT FUCKING BITCH!"

"Bonnie please…" Celeste tried to reason with the enraged brunette, but it seemed to be all for naught. "You have to calm down!"

"Calm down for what? Possible gave me the cure, or at least she said that it was, only to find out that not only did it not work, but it's possibly killing me? Like it's poisoning me?" She grabbed another chair, griping it by the back… "As if she hasn't ruined my life enou-OWW!.."

"Bonnie!" She quickly went to tend the girl as she clutched her wrist. During that, more grains of sand proceeded to drop to the floor before the wheels of her chair. 'It's already happening…'

"Are you alright, Bonnie?" X quickly tended to her, as the other followed.

"Yeah! I'm fan-freaking-tastic!" Her sarcasm was replaced with rage, "It FELT AS IF MY WRIST WAS CRACKED! OF COURSE I'M NOT ALRIGHT, YOU MORON!"

Saber sighed, "Nice to see the bitch switch has flipped."

"You try finding out you now basically have brittle bones and see how you like it!" Bonnie frowned, favoring her wrist.

"Looks like we'll be having that examination now…." Mindflare ordered, "Lie down on the bed…"

"Like I have a choice…" Bonnie hopped back on the bed, lying down on her back.

"Alright Bonnie…" From a counter, Mindflare grabbed a particular checking tool. "Let me know if this hurts." He taps her on the top of her foot a few times.

"Kinda feels like slapping…" She stated. It wasn't hurting, but it felt pretty sharp. 'Just how bad is it?'

"Alright, I'm going to tap a little harder now, is that okay?"

"Fine, whatever!" Bonnie wanted to see just how bad her situation was. Her wrist looked fine, but it felt as if it cracked a bit. Nevertheless, she wondered if she was still able to walk, or would she need a wheelchair like Celeste.

"Here it comes…" Mindflare increased the force in his tapping, causing the girl to wince a bit. Also, he noticed at within each impact, small grains of sand splashed upward from her foot. "Hmm…"

"She's bruising easily," Saber noted a dark mark forming where Mindflare was tapping. Upon closer examination of her bare foot she could see thin cracks on the top. There was no way around it. This girl was fragile. She watched as Mindflare proceeded to move upward on her body. The results were as you could expect at this point. The light taps she was fine at best, but within each increasing force of contact, the pain became sharper and worse. She may appear to be fine now, but it was bound to get worse within the days until she was falling apart before their eyes. She wasn't sure if she knew how to keep herself together. Still, at least she wasn't going to do something stupid. Like get into a fight…

Within each tap the pain grew worse and worse. Bonnie felt as if a nail was slowly being punctured into her limbs, splitting her bones apart one by one. She closed her eyes in order to fight the pain, but she couldn't help the tears that escaped from her shut eyes. The pain… it was unbearable! She wasn't sure how much of this procedure she could take before she just screamed. Clenching her teeth, she tried her hardest to avoid showing pain. She couldn't show pain! She couldn't show any weakness! This was just another roadblock in her way. In her quest to find herself, to make a name for herself! To finally accomplish something of great importance while being as far away from Kim's shadow as possible. This was her clean slate and the last thing she needed was to gain the reputation as a crybaby spoiled princess!

After about 30 minutes of testing …And 30 minutes of pain, Bonnie let out a sigh of relief at hearing Mindflare's words…

"That will be all for today."

"Finally…" Bonnie said before wincing, seeing the others' reaction to her remark. Was she really that stressed that she forgot her Ps and Qs, or were bad habits hard to break? "So what's wrong with me?"

"We're not sure. But we believe that it has to do with the Xenocide you absorbed. The sand that is coming from you is proof of that. I suggest that you take it easy for the next couple of days until we're able to get an expert's opinion."

"Couldn't you just call Dr. Helix?"

"He's still in Middleton. Likely there for another month or so! Still, there are others here who could lend a hand or two. Though at this time, everyone's preparing to go home for the evening."

'What am I supposed to do now?' Bonnie was scared. Would she have to sit in a wheelchair or would she have to be bedridden just to keep her from losing more of herself? This whole Mu-Type thing being a big gamble, she was starting to realize what Zach meant by that. Nevertheless, she has really got herself into fix she may not get out intact – literally!

**Location: Undisclosed**

"Hurry up, or we're going to be late!"

"Calm down! You don't want us to get caught, do you?"

Two young girls quickly rushed toward a metallic door as a hand was placed on the rusting knob. After a quick glance, the door slowly opened as the girls rushed inside, closing the door as lightly and carefully as they could in order to avoid detection.

"You brought it right?"

"Of course, I'm not stupid enough to forget that! Especially knowing what'll happen if I screw it up! Though, there was a close call with-"

"What close call?"

"…" At the sound of the voice, both sets of eyes turned towards a seated figure. While the lighting was scarce at best, there was enough to see her. Cross-legged and arm crossed, both could sense an air of displeasure around her. "Mistress! I…"

"Amanda, what kind of 'close call' is she talking about?"

"W-well…" The brunette girl, named Amanda, wasn't sure what would happen if she would explain. Would she kill her on the spot for being a snitch, or just Libby? Or would she kill them both! "It's like this…"

"SPILL IT!"

Both girls cowered at her outburst before Amanda decided that it was best to give her what she wanted. "You see… We were doing as you asked… "

"Go on…"

"We managed to locate the gems you wanted. But then…"

Her eyes narrowed, "Then what?"

"They showed up. Just when we finished gathering them, Omega Strike showed up!"

"What? How could they even know what we were up to?"

Libby decided to give her hypothesis of the situation. "That's what we wondered, too! We didn't trip the alarms or do anything to alert anyone of our presence, let alone intentions."

"And what happened then?"

"While we managed to make it out of there, I'm not so sure that they didn't see us!"

"Hmm… Just curious, who were the ones that did manage to spot you?"

"We didn't get a good look. But I could've sworn one of them had cat ears!"

"…That damn cat girl…" She muttered. "I assume that there was a big guy next to her. Carries disgusting slugs, looks pissed off?"

"No, he wasn't that big. But he was in a mask!"

"What?" This greatly brought her attention. "This masked guy, did he wear a long scarf?"

"No scarf! But his hair seemed to be long." Amanda informed. "The guy was moving at great speed! It was a miracle that we managed to make it out uncaught!"

She shook her head, "Kittina and Quickstrike…" Glaring at the two girls, "Do you have any idea of the ramifications of your screw up? If any of those two losers manage to track you guys back here all that I worked for could be ruined!"

"Mistress, please! I'm sorry! W-we didn't-GACK!" Her eyes widened as she felt a strong current of water shoot into her through her mouth and nostrils.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear over your _choking_!" She hissed. Her arm extended with fingers spread. Each shooting out thick streams of water that joined together near their target. She watched Amanda squirmed, trying to muster a word while desperately trying to keep from suffocating.

"Please Mistress! I'm begging you! We're sorry! We won't fail you again! I swear to god! I swear to all that is holy and right we won't fail you again!" Libby watched her mistress raise her other hand, expecting to receive the same treatment as her partner.

While maintaining her hold on Amanda, she began to consider Libby's plea. As desperate and outright pathetic as it was, she knew that despite their screw up, they were at the very least still useful. Good fodder was becoming harder to find these days. With that in mind, she yanked her extended hand back…

"!" Feeling the water forcibly exit from her mouth and nose, the force of the release sent Amanda flying towards her mistress. Causing her to land before the pointed toes of her boots. Coughing in her attempt to get oxygen back into her system, she looked up towards her, pleading and gratitude in her eyes. "Mistress…"

"I'll let you live _this time_. Screw up again and next time you won't be so lucky! Now get out of my sight before I change my mind!"

Within her words, both girls took her up on her mercy as they quickly left the room. Much to her amusement… Their dedication and desire to please her was admirable, but their infiltration skills could not be said the same. Again, they still had their uses.

"An interesting couple of followers you have there." A new voice mentioned. Belonging to an older gentleman.

She scoffed, "Amanda and Libby aren't exactly top choice for big time jobs. But otherwise they make decent errand girls. Given that they're both runaways from that orphanage from Johnston, they're very willing to do whatever I ask. Money and security have a way of motivating people."

"Orphanage you say? Well that takes me back."

"From what I heard about that place, there are plenty of girls who are ready and willing to look for a chance to leave that place in exchange of some cash and perhaps luxury. And I'm the only one who can provide them their desires…"

"You seem to be quite the young business woman."

"What can I say?" She smirked, "I have plenty of experience from watching my father for years." She raised a brow, "Are you offering?"

"In due time, my dear."

"Well in that case, then why are you here? Or are you another Dirty Old Man who thinks he can get away with his perverted actions with his money?"

He laughed, "My dear, you must have me confused with someone else."

"Whatever…" Within the sound of a jingle, she reached aside for her cellular phone, "What?"

"_Now Nemesis, isn't that anyway to speak to an old friend?"_

She scoffed, "Arrogant as ever, huh V-Ray? So, what do I bring the honor of you gracing me with your irritable presence?"

"_I was just curious about your current dealings back in Newport. Given your reputation…"_

Shaking her head in annoyance, "Let me rephrase my question: What do you want me to do for you?"

"_It's not much of what you can do for me, but rather what you can do for yourself. There is a simple device that I need you to acquire. It's located at a place that you are all so familiar with…"_

She shook her head, "Of course… Hayden-Tech, right?"

"_This device is crucial if my plans are to come to full circle. You should make haste, immediately."_

"Wait a minute, waitwaitwait… Since when do I take orders from you?"

"_Since our master's untimely disappearance, I have decided to take up the reins in his goal of Mu-Type superiority."_

A smirk formed on the girl's face, "You little usurper…"

"_This is no usurpation. This is simply a matter of logic. Xanthos has proven himself unfit to carry out the task at hand, so I elected myself to take up the reins."_

"Just keep telling yourself that. But I suppose I could do you this favor this one time. As long as there's a great payoff for me, of course."

_"If you are successful in your task, you will be handsomely rewarded. Fail, and you will suffer the consequences. You should know that only a small number of people actually trust you."_

"Like I care about what those losers think."

_"Just succeed in this one task and you would have proven yourself to be trustworthy. I expect good results to come from you."_

"Whatever…" Within a click, the conversation was over, causing the girl to sigh. "He is so annoying…"

"It seems that you have quite the task." The older man noted.

She scoffed, "V-Ray just wants me to be his puppet to advance his own ambitions. But I'll play along this time. All I know is that it's going to be very entertaining when Xanthos gets back."

"So… This isn't the first time he's disappeared?"

"He's already been ripped apart, like, five times already. I'm sure that he'll be back soon. Hopefully to knock Bach down a few pegs."

"You don't seem to like him very much, do you?"

"He just annoys me. Anyway, isn't there something you should be doing right now?"

He chuckles, "All in good time, my dear. All in good time… But right now, isn't there something you should be doing."

"I know…" Rising from her "throne," she let out a sigh. "Let's get the damn thing so he could leave me alone… Considering the security there's a joke, this shouldn't take long."

"Well in that case, perhaps we can discuss further business sooner than I anticipated."

"Just don't leave." She stated, "This business you wish to discuss, I want to hear every word of it first thing when I get back."

Nodding, he watched the girl proceed to her objective, a smile forming on his face. She seemed to have the right build, not to mention the right amount of ambition. A bit feisty for his tastes, but she should suffice. She would be a great replacement for what he had in mind…

**Omega Strike HQ**

Her foot fitting snugly inside, Bonnie tucked in the pant leg of her jeans in her boot before proceeding to tie the laces, "How much longer is this going to take…" She was ready to go home and lie in bed. Even if it wasn't her own. She was so over being a lab rat.

"Yer lucky we're even doing this!" Machpunch responded to the snide remark. "We could've just left you alone to stew in yer own crap!"

"Well you're not the one whose body's literally crumbling apart!"

"Well you wouldn't be in this whole mess if you weren't stupid enough to go to Xanthos in the first place!"

"Calm down you two…" X said before turning towards the brunette, "This won't take much longer. We have to record all that we've examined for reference just in case something happens."

"Finally… The sooner I can actually get into something comfortable, the bett-" She caught herself, "Not that kind, Perverts!"

"Believe me, it was the furthest from my mind." The larger man narrowed his eyes. Hasn't been a day and already he felt like beating the living crap out of her.

"X, Machpunch!" Saber walked back into the infirmary. "We need to get ready! Something's happening at Hayden-Tech!"

"Good…" Machpunch sighed in relief, "Finally something to let out my aggression."

"We'll be heading home in a bit, right now it's time take care of business." X informed Bonnie.

She scoffed, "You mean you couldn't have done this after you've taken me home?"

A growl escaping, Machpunch just had enough of this princess. Before his fist could rise, a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Let it go, she's going through a hard time."

"Not hard enough, if you ask me…" He muttered as the trio walk away, leaving the newly-discovered ill girl alone.

"What's that guy's ish, anyway? Asshole…" She crossed her arms. Great, now Zach and his buddies were going to take all night, leaving her stuck in this place. And with her condition, no less! What kind of people does that, anyway? Walking back towards the bed, she decided it would be best to lie back down on it. It was the only comfortable thing she saw in there. Before she could leap on, she heard a familiar ringtone from her bag on a countertop. "Great… Who could be calling me now…" Reaching inside of her bag, she pulled out her phone as her eyes widened on the revelation of the caller's ID. Without any consideration, she quickly answered, "Hello?"

_"So you did come to Newport after all!"_

"No duh!" She snarked, "You'd expect me to miss out on this opportunity?"

_"But how are you-"_

"I'm crashing at Asters' place. He can so be such a friend!"

_"But isn't this a bit-"_

"Wade! If I wanted a lecture, I'd go to my mother, Tara, or god-forbid Asters. Now, I take it if you're calling me then you must've found something, right?"

_"Actually Bonnie, that's what I wanted to tell you. I found them."_

Her eyes widened, "You did? Really?"

_"Yes!"_

Joy filled within her eyes as the significance of this call sunk in. He had found them. After a couple of months since she had made that call Wade had found them, the only reason why she came to Newport in the first place! There were here… It was only speculated but now it was confirmed…

Bonine's parents were in Newport.

* * *

Now that Bonnie knows her parents were here, what will she do?

**Next Chapter:** Bonnie learns the identity of her birthparents. Meanwhile, Omega Strike investigates Hayden-Tech, but what, or _who_ will they find?

**Chapter 4:** True Blood! The Fateful Encounter!


	4. True Blood! The Fateful Encounter!

**Chapter 4:** True Blood! The Fateful Encounter!

"So what's the big deal with Hayden-Tech this time?" Machpunch asked, cracking his knuckles. "Moneybags having pest problems again?"

"Given Quickstrike's report, this seems to be the case." Mindflare explained to the three gathered Omega Strike members. "Apparently a large number of girls have gathered around the building." According to the notes Quickstrike had written down during his scouting missions, there have been a string of robberies lately. All done by what have been identified as young teenage girls! Banks, jewelry, electronics, whatever that was valuable was good enough for them to grab. But for what, though? Who are they working for?

"Obviously they're up to something." Saber added her two cents. "And I doubt it's just for some over privileged club they're applying for. Then again, it never hurts to have a large amount of funds, just in case."

"True."

"So we're ready to go?" X asked, adjusting his gloves. Given the amount of people there, a fight was more than expected.

"If we leave now, we may be able to stop them before the situation intensifies."

"What about Rockwaller?" Machpunch reminded. For all it was worth, Bonnie was still a civilian. And as annoying as her mere presence here was, she couldn't just be taken home. Not now.

"She should be fine here while we're gone," Saber assured, before her eyes narrowed, "As long as she doesn't touch anything…"

"Celeste is here as well! I'm sure if she does something she's not supposed to, she'll stop her," X assured.

"You have a point. But still…" Saber couldn't put her finger on it, but there was just something about Bonnie she just couldn't stand…

"We can discuss this later." Mindflare reminded, "We need to get to Hayden-Tech at once!

With all in agreement, the four Omega Strike members proceeded to board the Ra Celsius. However, none seemed to notice another sneaking aboard the cargo bay. With all inside, all doors proceeded to shut as the roof slowly opened, revealing the night sky. As the engines started, the air ship proceeded to ascend before eventually rocketing off towards its destination.

…

Shaking her head, Bonnie slowly pulled herself back to her feet. Of all the things she has done within her 17 years, this was by far the stupidest! Here she was, nearly knocked out by falling into a large, mechanical whatever-the-hell-it-was due the speed of the takeoff! She shouldn't even be on the ship in the first place, much less in the cargo area. She told Celeste that she needed to use the bathroom. It was to the restroom and straight back, simple as that! But no she-

She sighed. Oh who was she kidding? There she was again, trying to justify her actions. It wasn't _that_ hard for her to ignore the temptation. But she just had to know. She had to see for herself! What was it? She wasn't sure herself. This was foolishness at best and the pinnacle of stupidity at worst. And what if she was discovered? X would try to look out for her, but even that seemed to be limited. Mindflare, maybe… But Machpunch and Saber? Machpunch seemed to have it in for women in general, but Saber seemed to have it in for her especially. She couldn't imagine why! Was she related to someone she pissed off or something?

Whatever… Earning the approval of Zach's friends was the least of her concerns. Especially with the latest revelation from Wade….

…

"_So tell me already!" Impatient was evident in Bonnie's tone. This was it! This was what she's been wanting ever since that day._

"Okay…"_ Wade began, _"Your parents-"

"Foster_ parents!" Bonnie corrected. Now that she knew that her real parents were out there, she could care less about the Rockwallers._

_Wade sighed, _"Fine… You're _foster_ parents told you that you were born in New York during a trip. But that was a lie. Instead, you were born right here in Newport."

"_I know that already! Can we get to the names of my parents?"_

"I'm getting to it, but there are things that I feel you should know!"_ Wade continued, _"Youshould know that just because you know that your parents are alive doesn't mean that you should expect them to have open arms for you."

"_If I wanted this kind of lecture, I would've gone to Asters! Now can you tell me the name of my parents, please?" Bonnie was growing irritated. Wade knew how much this meant to her and he was stalling as much as possible! Talk about being a total tease…_

"Alright Bonnie, but try not to get too excited over this."_ Wade took in a deep breath, _"The names of your parents are Richard and Deborah Hayden."

'_Hayden…' Bonnie closed her eyes. There was something familiar about that name. But how? It was at that moment when she remembered Saber's words. "Wait a minute. Those two… They wouldn't be connected to-"_

"Yeah… Richard Hayden is the owner, founder, and CEO of Hayden-Tech. The most prominent technology-focused company in Newport, perhaps even in all of Rhode Island! So it's safe to say that they're pretty loaded."

_Hearing this, Bonnie's eyes went up. "Really? How rich are they?"_

"Let's just say that Richard Hayden is one of the richest men in America. You, being his daughter, would basically make Paris Hilton look homeless."

"_Oooh… How exciting!" Bonnie closed her fist in excitement. She felt like cheering, she felt like jumping for joy! This was awesome! So not only was her family here in Newport, but they were rich, too! Just wait until she told Zach! He was going to be so jealous …If he wasn't already! Still… "Do they have any kids? …Besides me, of course."_

"It's a long story…"_ Bonnie noted Wade's somber expression. She could tell that she would have to sit down for this. _"17 years ago at Newport Hospital, Deborah Hayden gave birth to two healthy girls: One of them was named Raquelle and the other was named Fidelia."

'_So I had a different name…' Her instincts told her to be happy that she could ditch her name! That she should go back to her original name (Though which one was still the issue)! But this was bittersweet at best. For all of her life, she was Bonnie Rockwaller. It was her name! But after all of those years, just giving it up entirely would be like ripping a part of herself out from her. Almost like losing a limb. Then again, this was the point, right? A fresh start! A new beginning! A chance to establish herself! Not as Connie and Lonnie's little sister. But as herself! Raquelle Hayden! …Or was she Fidelia Hayden? Whatever, that could be settled later._

…

Putting the newfound knowledge aside for the meantime, Bonnie looked down as she noticed sand beneath her. 'Oh no…' Concerned, she searched around. Looking for anything, anything that showed any evidence of containing sand! However, all that was there were empty containers and inactive machinery. Horror soon crept into her face. Did it mean that the sand came from… Came from…

She opened her jacket before lifting up her shirt. Her eye widened at the sight of her torso…or what was there, rather! Her toned abs was gone. In their place was such that belonged to an anorexic! 'Oh no…' Worried about the state of her body, she quickly removed her coat, only for more sand to fall onto the floor! Extending her arms, they too looked horribly thin! It was like she was losing body mass by the minute! "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…"

She was afraid to take her pants off. Not wanting to imagine the state of her legs. However, within a few pokes, her thighs seemed to shift without shifting back. Upon tapping them, grain seemed to pop out through the jeans. Her now-likely skinny legs were covered in sand inside of her pants. And with them being tucked inside of her boots, they were the only thing that kept the sand from her legs from leaking. And this was from the collision from the takeoff! Suddenly, she wished she never stepped aboard on the air ship. Upon feeling a drop of altitude, Bonnie theorized that they were at the place! They were at Hayden-Tech! But what now, was the question! She couldn't just leave through the cargo area. Opening the doors would alarm them. And forget about calling Wade! He worked for Kim, not her! Sighing, she would have to settle to just waiting… If she could last that long…

Speaking of lasting, she felt the ship making its descent as looked for the softest thing she could find that could keep herself from shattering. This illness she had – much thanks to Kim – was getting worse by the minute! Seeing that there wasn't anything that was soft, let alone comfortable, she decided to hold onto a nearby pole, brace herself, and prayed for the best.

…

A minute later, Bonnie slowly rose to her feet as she checked herself for any further "damages." Aside from a smaller amount of sand that poured from her, she seemed to be fine. …Well, as fine as one in her condition could be. Looking around, she could've sworn that there was a flight of stairs she could use to get to the main deck. And then was when she would be able to sneak out and explore! …Or maybe get some help with her current "problem." Upon encountering a door, she slowly opened the door as she saw a set of stairs leading upward.

"This could work…" Bonnie said to herself, having found a way to make it upstairs without the elevator. Upon a few steps upward, her eyes widened at the sound of the commotion.

"WHAT! ARE YOU SERIOUS!"

Bonnie blinked, 'That was that behemoth! Machpunch, right?'

"Yay! I'm not the one staying behind this time!" Another voice cheered. This one perky, cheery, and yet a bit childish! Nevertheless, Bonnie continued to listen onward. Who knows, this may give her the opening she needed.

…

"The plan is simple. We'll handle the intruders! You will guard the ship! It's the best option, all things considered."

"I mean, c'mon Flare! All we have to handle are just some girls!"

Mindflare's eyes narrowed, "Exactly! Sending you out there would only enable your tendencies! Need I remind you how unsettling it is already?"

"But I-"

Saber decided to add in her two cents, "As much as I understand how much you want to vent, letting you out there would just enable your misogyny problem. We're trying to _stop_ them, not kill them!"

"What are ya, the peacekeeper all the sudden?"

"Look, Mach! Here's the deal! X, Saber, and I can find them quickly! And Kittina's been itching for some action for some time now!" Quickstrike explained, "You of all people should know how much it's been eating at her!"

After a few grumbles, Machpunch sighed, "Fine! I'll guard the ship! But I'm not makin' any promises! If one girl lays even one finger on this ship…"

"Then we'll just have to keep that from happening!" Mindflare turned to the rest of the team. "We'll be splitting up into two teams: Kittina and Quickstrike will continue to work together as will Saber and I. X, you'll infiltrate on your own."

"Sound fine with me," X responded as he quickly took off. Not wanting to waste as much time as possible.

"Hey, no fair! Don't go getting a head start!" Kittina whined as she and Quickstrike were the next to go, followed by Mindflare and Saber. Leaving Machpunch behind, angry and irritated…

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" A steel-toed boot connected to the side of the air ship as his slug-like beings wrapped around his wrists… "Nah… Not tonight guys…" He sighed as they moved back upward before disappearing. As irritating as it was, Machpunch knew Mindflare was right. The last thing he needed was to get involved with anything that would result in any form of brutality to the opposite sex. Though the idea was _very_ tempting! After all, if they were smart and strong enough to break in, then surely they were able to deal with the consequences right, just like they would if they were _guys_!

Did he really hate women? No, of course not! "Hate" was too strong of a word. He just disliked them! If it were about a year ago, then maybe he'd still hate them! Through all his life, he learned that there were only two types of women he liked, let alone trusted: The ones who didn't exist, and the ones who were dead. Then Omega Strike changed him, given at the time of his "recruitment," there were more girls than guys. Celeste was harmless, and Kittina was trying to be friends with him. At first, he didn't want anything to do with her. Now he… He wouldn't say that he loved her, but out of all women who, from his experience, would screw, use, abuse, and finally kill you, she was the one who he hated the least. "I'm trying 'Tina, God knows I'm trying…" Through all of his thoughts, he failed to notice a figure leaving from the Ra Celsius.

…Or did he?

Walking around the ship, he felt a grainy texture under his boot as he look down to find a thin trail of sand. "What the hell? Since when do we carry sand around?" Following the trail, it seemed to lead back to the entrance of the ship… "Oh, this better not mean what I think it does!"

Activating his headset… "Hey X! You'll never believe who tagged along!" Sarcasm was evident in his voice. This was X's problem as far as he was concerned. Let him handle it!

…

"So what are we looking for, exactly?"

"From what I managed to pick up during their convo, they're here for some Molecular do-hickey or whatever." Quickstrike shrugged. He knew how to use a computer and a smart phone, but technology was not his strong suit.

Holding on for dear life, Kittina quickly glanced around the area for intruder. So far, it's all been empty. But how? They both saw them enter! Maybe there weren't as many as they assumed? Or maybe they had already got what they came for? She shook her head. No, not yet! They had to find the device's initial location just to verify that it's even been moved in the first place! These girls weren't to be underestimated. They did manage to break in without setting off the alarms, after all. …Or did they deactivate them? It would explain the silence…

"It's quiet… Too quiet…" The speedster noted as he slowed his sprint to a stop, much to the catgirl's confusion.

"Huh? Why'd you stop?" Kittina drop down from his back.

"We better move slowly and carefully. Just in case they have any traps waiting for us," He suggested. "As impressive these girls are, I doubt they're doing this on their own."

"It would explain a few things," Kittina admitted. "So who's the ringleader? A Mu-Type? A Beast one perhaps?"

"Not sure. This doesn't seem to be either Serpentina's or Widow's MO…"

Kittina glared, having a feeling of what, or who was next on the accusation list. "And don't even think about saying his name!"

He blinked, "What? Leo? Please, it's unlikely he has the intellectual-OW!"

"Can we just go on, please?" Kittina wanted to change the subject. She knew she could be a bit overprotective of the Fang Clan, but that's where she came from. She couldn't just let anyone disrespect her crew like that!

"Whatever. The sooner we find those girls, the faster we can leave." Upon a few steps, he stopped at the sound of voices. "Hello, hello… What do we have here?"

"Alright! Time for a fight!" Kittina felt her heart racing in excitement! Finally, some action! Too bad for those unaware girls…

"Hurry up! Mistress said to look thoroughly and I am not going to get on her bad side. Not again…"

"Why are we doing this anyway? She said that we would be rich by now and all we've gotten are empty promises!"

"Do you want to go back to the orphanage? I don't! I swore I'd never go back to that place! Not after what happened…"

"It's gotta be better than working for that psycho bitch slave driver!"

Quickstrike grinned, "I think we've let these girls talk long enough, don't you think 'Tina?"

Nodding at his words, Kittina turned her attention to the girls. "You there, don'cha know that breaking and entering's a criminal offense?"

Their attention gained, the girls turned towards the two. Each dressed in full bodysuits and ski masks, their gloves began to glow as, within an instant, shining bright weapons instantly appeared in their hands. "Who are you losers supposed to be?"

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing!" Within a flick of her wrists, Kittina's nails grew into short claws as she fell into a fighting stance. It's been awhile since she fought armed opponents while unarmed. She didn't know what the weapons they were holding were made of, but by judging by their loose stances they were amateurs at best!

No longer in the mood to talk, the masked girls ran towards the two, weapons held high as the fated encounter began…

Being in a space as narrow as the hallway was, Quickstrike was at a slight disadvantage as he dodged the blows from his aggressors. It was one thing to move fast. But it was another thing to do so while maintaining control. He couldn't just burst into a high speed and just stop. There needed to be a specific amount of room for him to slow down gradually into a stop or else he might risk damaging his surroundings or himself. Running into a wall would be one thing, but doing so in a high amount of speed would be potentially lethal. That's where hand-to-hand combat came in.

Dodging strikes from a three-sectioned staff, Quickstrike watched carefully his opponent's movements. He could accelerate his own speed when needed, but doing so too much could leave drastic effects. At worst it could shorten his lifespan. That's why he needed to learn how to fight without reliance of his Mu-Type abilities. He may not be as skilled as X and Kittina were, but he was skilled enough to get the job done.

Grabbing a wrist, he used the girl's shock to his advantage as he flipped her over. As beautiful as their bodies were, he wasn't going to let them do as they pleased. Watching her rise to her feet, she reached for her weapon, only for it to be kicked away. "Now are you going to give up, or are we going to have to keep this dance going?"

Dodging from the flailing of what appeared to be a whip made out of light energy, Kittina kept track of their wielder's body movements. Obviously an amateur, given her experience, or lack thereof! Her movements were out of control. No precise, poor execution, and it was a miracle how she hasn't hit her own partner yet.

Dodging with a back flip, Kittina decided to make use of her surroundings as she climbed up the wall with her feet before launching herself towards her opponent. She may've been the youngest member of the group, but her time as a member of the Fang Clan were put into good use as she became a seasoned fighter in her own right. Kicks, punches, each of them Kittina threw connected without much difficulty. Weapon aside, it was clear that the masked girl was outmatched and outclassed. Of course the girl was taller, older, and more endowed than her. But Kittina was faster, craftier, and – more importantly – _stronger_ than her. A fact proven as the whip found itself wrapped around the catgirl's arm. Within seeing the smirk on the shorter girl's face, the pair of uncovered eyes widened in horror, realizing that she was trapped.

"Nighty night…"

Within a single yank, she found herself flying towards her attacker as a closed fist headed towards her was the last thing she saw…

…

"Energy weapons?" Saber blinked, dodging a blow from a tonfa that appeared to be made of pure energy. "Since when are they able to acquire weapons like that?"

"It's obvious that they're being backed by someone." Mindflare quickly evaded a strike from a staff, made from the same properties as the tonfa, "Someone who is able to provide all of this unique weaponry."

"I've heard that Stockhelm were working on manipulating pure energy into physical tools! But weapons?" There were only eight of them. Each wielding at least one of those weapons. From her experience. The power of manipulated physical energy could vary from being like a pillow slamming into your face, or a metal beam! Weaponry aside, these girls shouldn't be underestimated. Desperation could become a powerful weapon in a fix.

It hasn't been a few minutes and already they encountered the girls. What they were up to, let alone who they were working for was up for debate. Whoever's pocket they were in, they must either had something on them to bend them to their will, or was paying them a lot to be doing this.

Bringing out a metal staff, Saber took a swing as both weapons collided. In truth, Saber was hardly an expert with it came to Martial Arts. At best, she was good enough to defend herself against run-of-the-mil thugs. Otherwise, she was more comfortable utilizing her gizmos and gadgets. Admittedly, as much as she wanted to improve, she just couldn't muster up the time, or rather the commitment. It wouldn't be hard to find someone. Her best friend was one of the top Martial Artists in Newport, and Gibbs was skilled, too. Still…

Seeing the girls grouping up, Saber reached towards her utility belt as she grabbed a metal sphere. Within a slight application of pressure, the ball grew in size until it was just bigger than her palm. After eying a good targeting point, she tossed the ball towards its direction.

"What the?" Upon sight, the girls dodged as they could as the sphere landed roughly on the ground. However, unbeknownst to them, an electrical field of sorts emitted as it proceeded to pull the girls towards the source of its emission. "The hell is this?"

"I can't move!"

"What did you do to us?"

"Something that'll keep you there until the cops arrive." She informed them of their paralyzed states as she reached down to grab the ball. The oxygen in the room would be enough to keep the charge stabilized to prevent escape. By the time it wore off, they would've been in handcuffs anyway.

Mindflare eyed the device, "New invention?"

"I've been looking into creating some devices that were effective, yet cost friendly. Not to mention eco friendly. Stopping bad guys isn't the only way to protect the world, y'know?"

Nodding, "Come on, we need to search for any stragglers. You might have to put that ball to use again."

"It runs on both solar and lunar power, so it should have enough energy for one more use." She said. So far the night has been good. Hopefully the others were having the same luck as they were.

…

"Wow…" Nearly speechless, Bonnie examined around the area that could only belong to the CEO of the company: Richard Hayden, her father. It was a nicely-furnished office with a fairly-large room and a desk appropriate for its size. She saw that there was a file cabinet on one side and a book shelf on the other. Save for a desktop computer that was placed on top of the desk as well as a large, rotating leather chair. She was tempted to take a seat, to see how comfortable it really was. But common sense overrode those urges. It was bad enough that she was constantly in danger of losing her body mass, but to leave evidence that she was here? That would be stupid. Regardless of her intentions, she _was_ breaking and entering.

Sighing, Bonnie left the office as she eventually left the entire section. If the Haydens were really her biological parents, this may become her birthright. This company, this legacy, all may become hers someday. Upon walking through the halls, Bonnie soon came across a picture nearby: An oil painting of, apparently, a family portrait. Standing tall was what appeared to be an average-sized man. His slicked-back hair was black with a touch of gray on the sides. He was dressed in a black suit with a blue tie. Standing beside him was a woman who was shorter than him. Her hair was styled in a fashion similar to hers, but was lighter and barely reached her shoulders. While both of their faces showed signs of aging, they were both still considered to be attractive. 'Looks like I got good genes. Suck on that Connie and Lonnie.' Her blue dress was backless as it complemented her husband's tie. Save for the diamond earrings.

On his other side was a girl who looked familiar. _Very_ familiar… "Is that… Me?" Upon first glance, the girl standing next to her father was Bonnie!

…At least at first glance. But there were a few notable differences. Most notably was her hair was longer than hers. _Much_ longer as the side strands were tied back, not to mention being blonde. Her eyes were as green as her father, unlike her mother's, which were blue. 'Guess I take after Mom… Though, how could _she_ be blonde? Either it's recessive genes or a dye job…' She seemed to be content, but her eyes clearly showed boredom. Like she had better things to do than to stand around for some stupid family photo…

"It's a nice picture, huh?"

Her eyes widened at the sound of the voice! _Her_ voice! But something was off. It seemed to be an octave lower by a fraction. 'Could this… Could this be my sister calling me?' Bonnie was afraid to turn around. For one she was trespassing and even if she was her sister no way would she believe her right off the bat. She knew _she_ wouldn't. Another thing was she was just nervous. If this really was her sister who was behind her, she would much rather have met her under much better circumstances. Not to mention in much better health. Talk about a bad first impression…

"Hello, are you even listening? Or are you retarded?"

Hearing foot tapping on the floor, Bonnie decided it would be best to turn around. Who knew, perhaps she would go easy on her since she hasn't actually stolen anything yet. Upon sight, she saw was a girl around her age. Her golden-blonde hair was long and layered as she was dressed in some dominatrix-like dress. Even her facemask gave a fetishist's vibe. "So… Who are you supposed to be?"

"I think _I_ should be one asking the questions around here!" She responded. "Speaking of which, why are you here anyway?"

"None of your business!" Bonnie responded adamantly. Who was she, Security? She wasn't obligated to answer any of her questions. Especially in _that_ getup!

"Oh, I think it is my business! More than you'll ever know." She glared. She didn't know what her business was here and she could care less, but she knew what she was going to do: Either get out of her way or fall like the rest. Her long-gloved fingers stroked her chin, "Let's see… What will I do with you?"

"I think I have an idea."

'This'll be a good laugh…' She scoffed, "Like what?" Obviously this girl was a complete loon. Didn't she realize how outclassed she was?

'Pray to god this works…' Bonnie closed her eyes. "Like THIS!" With hard thrust of her arm, Sand began to pour out as it knocked the latex-clad girl back into a wall! "Try getting up from that, Loser!" She taunted as she took this opportunity to escape. Hopefully she would run into X or at least somebody! All she wanted to do now was go home! Hopefully dinner was already made. Before she could reach the door to the stairway, she felt her foot caught as she found herself tripping!

"_You_ try getting up, Loser!" She hissed. The water-like whip wrapped around her leg as she heard a loud, bloodied scream. "What's wrong?" She taunted, getting back to her feet, "Did you hurt yourself?" Her hydro whip retracting, a blade of water formed around her arm. It was quite thin and not very durable. But it would suffice in dealing with her.

"Damn it…" Feeling tears forming in her eyes, Bonnie felt a severe break in her arm as the blood inside began to drip from the sleeve of her jacket. Worse, more sand leaked from her, mixing with the blood. Who knew how much mass she had lost. She tried to get back up, but due to the combination of pain and the loss of strength, all she could do was slowly move back as her aggressor moved closer…

"Looks like the end of the road for you…" In actuality, this would be her first kill. But she's already done plenty of bad things. She's already at the point of no return. This shouldn't make things any worse than it already was… "It was nice meeting you…"

"No… With her functioning arm, she tried to shield herself from the inevitable. However, before the blow came, she felt a hint of electrical energy as within a corner of her eye, she saw her aggressor knocked back by a burst of energy!

"Attacking a defenseless opponent?" She heard the familiar synthesized voice, "Taking cheap shots already, Nemesis?"

Recovering, her eyes narrowed at her attacker, "You…"

Bonnie blinked, "Za…X, how did you find me so quickly?"

"Let's just say I followed the trail!" He stated, pointing to a trail of sand Bonnie left behind, before looking at the bloodied sleeve. "Damn, what did you get yourself into? What the hell are you even doing here?"

The pain in her face said it all, "W-when I found out you were coming here, I had to go with! I had to learn about the company my father founded?"

"What? Your father founded? Unless Luther Rockwaller has a place of business here, I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, you moron! Richard Hayden is my father, my real father!"

"Say what?"

"Before we left, Wade told me the identity of my parents: Richard and Deborah Hayden!"

"So you're saying…" X glanced at Bonnie before turning towards the lady in black. Bonnie, apparently, was the Haydens' daughter! But if that was true, then that meant… 'Oh goddamn it…'

Watching all of this, Nemesis wasn't sure what to think. She shook her head, not sure if she liked the idea. Now that she thought about it, the resemblance was there, but how? Wouldn't her parents have told her beforehand? Still, she could worry about that later. Right now she needed to escape. But that masked moron was blocking the exit.

"Alright, give me your arm!" X proceeded to remove his scarf…

Bonnie blinked, "What, are you?"

"You've already lost too much blood! We need to get you back to the ship and to a doctor before that injury gets worse!"

"You don't have to tell me twice…" She muttered, reluctantly bringing her arm towards him. However, before they could meet, Bonnie felt a sharp pain throughout her entire body as she let out a blood filled scream!

"BONNIE!" X quickly rushed over to her, only to find a horrifying sight! Her body was instantly being reduced to sand as the grains quickly formed a pile…

"X…" Her hand extending, X tried to grab it but within a centimeter away, the hand was reduce to grains of sand like the rest of her body!

"Bonnie!" X was too late. Grabbing a handful of the grains of what was left of his friend, His hands balled into fists. How could she? Bonnie could've been her sister and she just…

"Aww… What's wrong? Your girlfriend crumbled before you?" Nemesis taunted, holding up what appeared to be a futuristic-designed pistol. "This was said to be able to reduce anything back into its basic components. To be honest! I wasn't expecting that to happen. So your girlfriend was a Mu-Type was she? That would explained why she was reduced to Sand. Or was she already having problems keeping it together." She snickered, noting the sandy trail behind.

"YOU IDIOT!" Sparks of electricity began to emit from his balled fist. "She was your sister! How could you?"

"Why am I not surprised you're angry with me hurting your friends!" Her eyes narrowed, "You always were quick to put them over me…" Then closed, "Even when we were together…" Sighing, "If you really miss her that much, then there's no need to worry!" She aimed the gun towards him. "You'll be joining her."

Preparing himself, X searched around his surroundings, only to find himself surrounded by wall mirrors from the middle upward. He remembered that a few of the more important divisions were decorated with two-way mirrors in order to install hidden cameras behind the walls. The girl in front of him was the one who told him that. Cleaver, but somewhat creepy… "I wouldn't do that. You'll only screw yourself over!"

"There you go again, X…" Nemesis' eyes narrowed. Once again he was underestimating her! He _always_ underestimated her, to the point where she wondered if he somehow still thought of her as a joke. But she'd show him a joke. A joke that would degenerate him into useless particles after she was done with him! "You never take me seriously, especially when you should!"

"Don't be stupid! You shoot that thing, the only one you'll be hurting is yourself!"

"Just like when I shot Sandy over there? This next shot will result in the same outcome!"

"Don't do it…"

"Watch me!" The shot was fired as a pale golden beam of energy fired. However, X dropped down the floor, leaving the laser to reflect off of the mirror wall and hit the gun's wielder instead!

Screaming in pain, Nemesis felt her whole body being ripped apart. From below, water began to drop rapidly as her body began to become unstable! She saw X, who stood in both horror and confusion.

'Oh man…' X was getting a first-hand demonstration of how horrible of a weapon that gun could be, especially in the wrong hands, as Nemesis proved. Using it on her possibly-sister aside, if she was that willing to use it on anyone who even at the slightest ticked her off, deadly wouldn't even begin to describe it!

Now melted down to only an arm and head, Nemesis desperately reached out to her masked adversary. "Zach…" She whispered, "Help me…" Within moments, all that was left was a large puddle of water.

He sighed, "Damn it, Rocky…" Glancing at the pile of sand that was once Bonnie, then to the puddle that was once Nemesis, X did the one thing left that he could do.

"Guys, we gotta problem on our hands…" He said, glancing at the spreading puddle.

…

"…And that's what happened." X finished explaining to the Omega Strike members, as Saber picked up the device that started this situation.

"So this is Hayden-Tech's big project," She mused, examining the gun's physical properties. As tempted as she was to take the gun apart, she wasn't sure that it would be safe, given to what it just did to Bonnie and Nemesis.

"How horrible…" Kittina glanced at Bonnie's remains. It was bad enough that she was falling apart, now she was kitty litter.

"I'm surprised Nemesis hasn't recovered!" Quickstrike noted. "Shouldn't she have, y'know, reverted back into her physical form by now?"

"It's not as simple as it would be normally." Mindflare watched the puddle slowly expanding. He knew that they would have to clean up this mess before the authorities arrive. Now the task at hand would be to figure out how to inform Bonnie's family about her fate. He wasn't sure if the effects were reversible, but it would be best to contain them before they were lost permanently. "Saber, make sure that their remains are retrieved in their entirety. Make sure not even a molecule is missing."

"Gotcha." As much as she despised Nemesis, she knew she couldn't just leave her in this condition. And besides, they needed a subject to test the restoration process. …If there was one to begin with. Before she could produce a container, her eyes widened. "Uhh…"

The other four turned to the sight of Saber's attention as upon contact, the sand gradually become moist as more and more of the puddle began to move towards its direction. It was as if the sand was absorbing the puddle within itself as it slowly began to bubble…

"Okay…" Quickstrike turned to the others, "Anyone else freaked out by this?"

"Straight out of a freaky sci-fi movie…" X braced himself. He didn't know what was happening, but if a fight was to come from this, then he would be ready. He wasn't ready to lose anymore friends.

"That's putting it lightly!" Kittina noted as the mixture seemed to increase in size! "Umm… Shouldn't we step back?"

"Get ready team…" Like X, Mindflare was preparing for the possibility of confrontation. However, the mud-like mixture began to move upward and increase in size. As if it was trying to form into a particular shape…

"Whatever it is, I think it's ready to show itself!" Saber reached for a sidearm. First light energy weapons, now this? This night was full of surprises…

The mixture began to take form as within a few moments, any sign of the mixture had vanished. Leaving behind a familiar figure…

"Bonnie!" X was quick to catch the collapsing girl, who barely showed any sign of consciousness. "You okay?"

"Wha…What happened?" She managed to mutter, "What's going on? Why do I feel so…"

"That was quite the bullet you dodged there, Bonnie." Quickstrike informed, smiling. "Nice to see that you're looking well! _Very_ well, I might add."

"Thanks… I guess…" She shivered, "Is it me or did it get cold all of a sudden?"

Saber barely hid her smirk, "Blame it on your new jammies!"

"What are you-" Bonnie blinked before she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was longer, now reaching to her middle back with a few streaks in the front in a familiar blonde color. Perhaps the weirdest change of all was that her left eye was now green. But that was minor compared to what she saw below… Or what she didn't see… "OH GOD!"

"HEY!" X felt his scarf yanked from his neck as he watched the blushing brunette wrap the long garment around herself, trying desperately to cover any revealing parts.

"Why didn't you tell me I was naked?" She chided, "Or did you enjoy the show you just saw? Pay up, Perverts!"

"Believe me, there's not much to look at…" Saber muttered on her breath. Bonnie's body may be athletic and was certainly gifted in the chest area. But as appealing as it was, it wasn't much.

Mindflare quickly took of his coat, "Maybe this will suffice."

"Thank you…" This was beyond embarrassing! More than anything she ever had to deal with back in Middleton. The sooner she was out of this place, the better. But before she could grab the jacket, she felt uneasiness within her stomach as her belly gradually expanded.

"What the-"

"How in the-"

"Jeez, this is starting to turn into a bad anime plot!" X noted as Bonnie, who now looked as if she was carrying quintuplets, collapsed to the floor before releasing a fierce flow of liquid from her mouth.

Kittina observed, "Is anyone staring to get nauseous?"

"Aw man," Quickstrike couldn't believe what he was seeing, "If I wasn't wearing a mask I'd be vomiting right now!"

The liquid, however, was in a clear color. Almost as if it was water Bonnie was spewing! Notably, the more water that came from her, the more deflated her belly became. After a few more seconds, Bonnie's belly returned to its slim, toned state as the puddle of water slowly began to gather.

X was still nauseous from what he just saw, "Oh god, don't tell me…"

"Be glad that it came from her _mouth_!" Saber reminded, knowing full well of the alternative, as after a couple seconds, another familiar figure formed. It was safe to say who this one was…

"Always figured Nemsy had a smoking body," Quickstrike slapped X on the back, "But you knew that already, huh?"

"So not the time, 'Strike!" X suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he saw the villainess rise to her feet…

"Great…" She muttered, realizing her state of dress – or lack thereof. "You're enjoying this, aren't you, X?" Upon sight of her, everyone's eyes widened. For the most part, Nemesis remained the same. Only that her left eye was now blue and there were a few brunette streaks in her hair.

"Nice to see you're okay." He stated. "You _are_ okay, aren't you?"

"I just had every cell of my body ripped apart, merged and regurgitated! Would you think I'd be okay after that?" She snarked, "Idiot…" Everyone eyes slightly widened, but Bonnie was in shock. Maybe it was due to the mask she was wearing at the time, but she had never noticed just how much she looked like her. Obvious differences aside, they really _were_ twins!

"If it wasn't confirmed then, it is now…" X noted, watching the "sisters" examine each other. Other than their hair and eye colors, they were practically the same. Both girls reached towards the other, each with the hand that corresponded with the other's original eye color.

"This is so uber-freaky…"

"That's an understatement…" The blonde muttered in annoyance. Here she was now: Naked, surrounded by people she really didn't like, plus one girl who looked like her. _A lot _like her. Too much like her for her liking…

Bonnie continued to examine her… sister. She never in a million years imagined that she would go from two older sisters to a twin sister, much less one that was just about as evil as they were, apparently. Needless to say, she could forget about establishing a relationship with her, let alone a good one! This couldn't have been proven even more within that moment as an extreme sharp pain shot through her arm as she lost all feeling from the wrist down…

Watching the severed hand stain the floor with its blood, Nemesis converted the aquatic blade back into a stream of water as it absorbed into her. "While I'd like to stay around for this unexpected reunion, I do have to get going!" Dodging rapid fires or electric balls and laser shots, she utilized her agility to avoid her would-be pursuers. If they were anything like the goody-goodies they were, they would focus on her "sister's" condition rather than running blindly at her in rage. Then again, Saber would be more likely to do the latter, despite how smart she was supposed to be.

Saber watched as a water tentacle snatched the gun away from her, "Damn you…"

"Forget about her, Saber!" Mindflare reminded of the current priority, watching her take his discarded coat. They could deal with Nemesis another time. But right now, Bonnie needed help immediately.

Gritting her teeth, she turned towards the injured girl as X froze her severed hand in a block of ice. Wrapping up her stump with X's scarf, Quickstrike quickly picked up the shocked, teary-eyed girl as he quickly went en route back to the Ra Celsius. Grabbing the block, the rest of the team quickly followed. If they were in time, maybe there was still a chance to save her hand.

**Location: Undisclosed**

"Damn him…" Nemesis fumed, Mindflare's coat still wrapped around her. Once again, X and his pathetic friends had to get involved in her affairs. Worse, now she had not just a sister, but a twin sister! Where the hell did she come from? And surprise-surprise, X was dating her. Was _she_ supposed to be her replacement? "Cold" didn't even begin to describe this slap in the face.

"Judging by your attire, I take it that you had quite the night!"

She rolled her eyes, "So not in the mood! I have more important matters to deal with!" She said, stepping right into the light for her guest to get a clear look of her. Or rather, the _new_ her…

"Hmm… Your new appearance brings a familiarity to me. You remind me of someone."

"Oh good for you…" She fumed, "Now I have to buy a new outfit due to that mess at Hayden-Tech! Then again, I always have a spare."

"So that's why you continue to whine instead of changing, or are you hoping to seduce me?"

She scoffed, "Dream on, Pervert. You look old enough to be my father."

"'Father…'" He thought as he watched the girl grab a phone, making a call. Certainly she did look the part, but was it possible that she could be… 'Hmm…'

"WHAT?" She snapped, "What do you mean it's useless!"

"_It's as I said, Nemesis."_ V-Ray spoke on the other end, _"The Molecular Modifier is of no use to me. To be frank, acquiring such a device would be more trouble than it was worth."_

"Then why the hell did you send me to get it for you, then?"

"_It was only a test of your loyalty! I did mention that you had quite the startling reputation of acting on your own, for ambitions that better suited yourself rather than our cause."_

"You son of a bitch…"

"_Don't be hasty, my dear. I assure you that you will be compensated for your trouble. Whether if it will be within a matter of days or months, on the other hand, is another matter…"_

Letting out an enraged scream, she slammed the phone down hard onto the desk, "GOD I HATE THAT GUY!"

"Let me guess: This whole episode was a waste of time?"

"Oh it wasn't a waste of time! V-Ray sends me on a wild goose chase and I find out that I have a sister! Isn't that lovely?"

"Hmm…" A smile formed on his face, "Supposed if I were to tell you that there was a way to get back at this 'V-Ray' fellow. A way that would really stick it in his craw?"

Just when she was going to roll her eyes at the man's offer, the idea of putting the screws to V-Ray intrigued her, "I'm listening, go on."

"It's simple." He smiled, "You'll be coming home."

**Ra Celsius**

"How is she?"

"At least she's still alive," Saber explained as X looked through the window of the infirmary. "But mentally, I'm not sure. From what I saw, she's still in shock over what's happened. Wouldn't blame her to be honest…"

"It's sad…" X shook his head as he saw the downed girl. From the minimal redness of the bandage wrapped around the stump, at least the bleeding was stopped. "She has two sisters in one family and a twin sister in another. Yet neither one of them want anything to do with her. As much as her sisters bullied her, at least they didn't try to amputate her."

"Yeah… Thinking about it now, I'd probably be screwed up too if I had to deal with them my entire life." She sighed, "Now we're back to our original problem. But now it's not that she's dead, she's just crippled."

"Not yet. There's still a chance to save her hand, right?"

"True. But her hand would never be the same anyhow. There is still possible nerve damage. While her hand may still be useable, she may have some permanent loss of feeling or usage." Shaking her head, "Seriously X, you sure know how to pick 'em."

"We'll deal with Nemesis, but the bigger question is that device she stole. What does she plan on using it for? We've already seen what can happen if used on a person. Furthermore, we need to get it from her."

"Or alternately, we're better off destroying the damn thing. Who knows how dangerous it could be."

"No way it'll be easy getting it back from her. We hardly know where she is. Either she's learned how to hide her energy signature, or she has some device that hides it."

"True… I just hope she doesn't go crazy and start using it on people. Sometimes I wonder what you ever-" Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream from the infirmary. "What's happening?"

Looking towards the direction, they both see Bonnie on the floor, curled up. "Something's up with her," X turned to Saber, "Let's go!" Both quickly rushing inside of the room, they approached the curled girl who had a horrified look on her face, "Bonnie, what's wrong?"

"H-how…" She muttered, barely able to speak, "How…"

"If we're going to help you, then you'll have to tell us what's wrong!" Saber stated.

"How… how could this happen?"

"Nemesis, she cho-"

"I know about her chopping off my hand!" She slightly snapped, "I mean _this_!" She stated, showing the matter of which she was speaking of to the both of them, as both pairs of eyes widened at the sight. It shouldn't be possible, it _shouldn't_! But there it was, in plain sight…

* * *

What is this new development in Bonnie? And what about her family? Has she really found them? Or are they mistaken for someone else?

Next Chapter: Bonnie goes to meet her parents. But will they accept her? Also, Zach is approached with a decision that involves Bonnie.

**Chapter 5:** Winds of Change! I Am Your Daughter!


	5. Winds Of Change! I Am Your Daughter!

**Chapter 5:** Winds of Change! I Am Your Daughter!

"Hey it's me. …Yeah, I know, real late. But listen. I'm gonna stay over for the night! A friend of mine's going through a personal issue. …Yeah, real bad! I can't leave the girl alone for one second without her going frigid. Her parents aren't even home! They went out of town for the night! …No, I'm not trying to make a move! I'm telling you, it's the farthest thing from my mind right now! Besides, I have a girlfriend, remember?"

X sighed, "I'm not the enemy, I'm just trying to do the responsible thing to let you guys know so you don't worry. …Yeah, Bonnie's staying over too, so tell Teagan not to worry! …Yeah, she would. Look, I'll talk to you guys later. I need to get back to her, she's calling for me and I don't want her to start freaking out. Love ya, bye!"

Saber smirked as she watched him put his cell phone away, "Trouble with the 'rents again?"

"Luckily it was my Mom who answered so I had an easier time convincing her to let me stay the night."

"Hmm… Though, I wonder how you're going to explain all of this when you get home." She knew that his parents would be asking questions about the girl with the issues. She could only hope he could give a convincing explanation to justify the attention.

"I'll worry about that later." He said, placing his mask back on. "So, how's Bon-Bon?"

"She's asleep." She shook her head, "I still can't believe she managed to do that."

"Tell me about it." X stretched his arms, "One moment her stump was wrapped in bandages, all of the sudden, it was there." He closed his eyes, "You don't think…"

"Considering that _she_ had regenerative abilities, it may be a possibility. It would explain the changes in her hair and eye, for one."

"And the blood sample?"

"The degeneration of her body seemed to have vanished, or at the very least been repressed." Saber sighed at Bonnie's predicament. Did her new healing factor eliminate the "virus?" Or did it merely prolong its effect. Namely, were her new Mu-Type abilities the only thing keeping her body from falling apart? Either way, this was one Mu-Type who should not be cured anytime soon. How they were able to mix their DNA in the first place, she didn't know. Maybe it's because they were so similar that they could pull it off.

Inside, from the way her body was positioned on the bed, one would believe that Bonnie was asleep. However, if one would have a closer look, they would see that she was doing anything but sleeping…

Examining her hand, thoughts quickly rushed into her mind. It was strange… One moment she was worried that her hand would be lost forever. X managed to place it on ice. But within moments of being placed on the bed, she felt strange. This feeling mostly came from her stump, but it still gave off a strangeness vibe. Within moments she could hear tearing sound, feeling rippling at the severed spot. Upon sight of the disturbance, she watched as her bandaged was being torn apart from the inside as within moments, the tape was ripped off with a few specs of sand accompanying the "explosion." In its place was a new hand, but how? How could she have done this? Was it always within her, or was it due to something else? Either way, this was so super freaky.

The bigger question was, now what? It was outright confirmed that she was a Hayden and that girl, Nemesis or whatever she called herself, was her twin sister. …If that was possible. What was she going to do? She couldn't just walk up to their doorstep and say "Hi, I'm Bonnie! I'm your long lost daughter!" No fool in their right mind would up and believe her at face value. But still, she had to try. She owed it to herself to learn her roots and to see this to the end. She couldn't back away now.

She couldn't go back. Not now, not ever…

**Outside City Hall, Newport**

"As you can see, we've tried all alternative methods in dealing with the Mu-Types!" Before a podium outside city hall was a man who appeared to be slightly stocky. His graying, slightly-receding hair slightly brushed by the small wind, a stern look of determination was present on his face. "However, this has only made them even more hostile and dangerous. That is why I believe we should forward Proposition 54 today, and put an end to this Mu-Type menace! No longer will they be able to evade the long arm of the law and to avoid accountability for their actions."

"But what about the Mu-Types who are unable to be as hostile as the others?" A young man asked, holding a microphone close to the podium. "There are those who can't even move without assistance and those whose abilities are slowly killing them? Is it right to place them under the same classification?"

"How do we know that those Mu-Types will remain harmless," He reminded the reporter. "Given that Xenocide itself is unstable and not much about it is truly known, for all that is known, those harmless Mu-Types today may become a world risk tomorrow."

"But what about those other Mu-Types? The ones who are opposing the more hostile ones like Alexander Xanthos and his followers?"

He shook his head, "They are all one of the same cloth. If they're not out committing crimes, they're committing acts of vigilantism and placing themselves above the law. Either way, they are still a threat to this city, possibly the country, and even the world. And I for one won't stand for it!" After a few moments of chatter, the reporters at attendance tried to ask more questions. He already made his point across. Mu-Types needed to be controlled as soon as possible, before they destroyed the city. However, he knew that the people wouldn't just allow it to come to pass. Proposition 54 would require every Mu-Type in the city to register within the system, but in order to do that he must have a significant amount of votes in its favor. And that wouldn't be for another few weeks. But this proposition must be approved, it just had to. Too many lives were lost already because of the Mu-Types.

He had thought about staging a few attacks by Mu-Types. Whether by hiring one to deliberately attacking a school or by blowing up a bus full of children! Anything that would outrage the people enough to vote for it, in order for justice to be served! But that would make him no better than the Mu-Types he was trying to stop. No matter how well-intentioned his actions may be, they were still that of a monster and that would eat away at his conscious. But deep down, he knew that his point would soon be made anyway. However, as much as he expected it to happen, he hoped he was wrong.

These people of this city have suffered enough already, they did not need to suffer more.

…

"Let me guess: This is for that Mu-Type initiative you guys have been talking about, right?" Bonnie noted the gathering crowd around city hall, passing by.

"Yep…" Zach sighed, driving. After a quick change of clothes from home, they jumped into the Journey as the proceeded off to their destination for the day: Hayden Manor. It was about at best a 20-minute drive or at worst, a 40-minute one depending on traffic. But considering today's festivities, this was going to be a long ride. "Proposition 54 is the mandatory registration of all Mu-Types. Beast, Elemental, Psychic, all of them! Everyone's praying that it falls through. Otherwise, it'll all go south for you and me."

"I feel for you and all, really, but I don't see how it's my problem." Bonnie shrugged. She may be a Mu-Type, but she wasn't the one who caused the problem that led to this Proposition 59 or whatever number it was in the first place.

"Umm…Yeah, it is…" Zach begged to differ, "If 54 goes through and is approved every Mu-Type will be forced to register. Meaning that there will be a list of Mu-Types that will be available to the public! Police, government, suppliers, sellers," He shook his head, "Everyone who can will have access to the identities of hundreds of Mu-Types."

"So you'll lose your secret identities, big deal!"

"Our secret identities are hardly the issue." Zach decided that it would be best to explain it in a way Bonnie would surely understand. "You know about prejudice, right?"

"No duh! I'm not five!" She rolled his eyes, wondering where Asters was going with this.

"Imaging that happening within a few weeks, but instead of color, race, religion, or even sexual orientation, but because of what you can or can't do. Except this time it is out of justified fear based on actions within the past. Then throw in the witch hunts for good measure and you'll end up the result of the initiative. All it'll do is cause chaos within the city, make everyone paranoid and unable to trust each other, and give Mu-Type Supremacists even more ammunition. One moment you could be enjoying your life as normal. The next, you wake up with your body mutated into god knows what, having no idea how it's happened. Worse, when you try to figure out what's going on, all your friends and loved ones run away from you, abandoning you, turning their backs on you when you need them most. All for something you can't control. Worse, all the sudden you're being judged, the worst is always thought of you, never mind that you were previously someone who was always reliable, always dependable and trustworthy. You'll never get a fair shake. You'll never get a fair trial. They'll believe what they want to believe, listen to what they want to listen. Believe me, I've seen first-hand how ungrateful and fickle people can be."

Bonnie blinked, "Did it happen to you?"

He shook his head, "No… I've never gave it a chance for it to happen. But I know someone it did happen to."

"Really? Who?"

"Angelina Xavier: Newport's Guardian Angel. Always there to help those in need, whenever they needed it!"

Bonnie scoffed, "Let me guess. Like Kim?"

"…Now that you mention it, she did kinda look like her. I mean she had red hair at least. Though I think that she was a bit taller than Kim and kinda look Latina."

"Figures…" While she wasn't exactly like Kim, but close enough, she decided. Either way, it was still annoying. "So what was the big deal-Oh wait! Don't tell me: She looked like a real angel!"

"Well at least she had the wings for it. Anyway, she would do the whole 'Guardian Angel saves person from falling to their doom' gimmick. She was revered as a legend. A true icon of hope! Then there was that night. A young girl for some reason was playing on Newport Bridge. Within a few moments – big surprise – she fell off and was on her way down to the water before Angel saved her. The crowd who gather around cheered her before some idiot in the crowd showed his trolling skills by accusing her of pushing the girl. I would say that the guy who said this was slapped and called an idiot. But that'd be lying. So yeah, everyone immediately believed the worst, and when they called her a Mu-Type that was it. From heroine to pariah in a matter of seconds, all because of some jackass who wanted to be a dick!

"So what happened to her?" She couldn't believe that someone who did so much good would be quickly abandoned by those who she dedicated herself to protect. Those ingrates… _This_ was why people should never help out others, "Was she ever seen again?"

"Oh, she's still around doing her thing. Only they're not as grateful as they used to be. With accusations of her causing them in the first place! I even asked her how she could continue to help those who turned their backs on her at the first opportunity, and you know what she told me?"

"No, but you'll tell me anyway…"

"She said, 'No matter what happens, I'll always be there for those who need me. I'm not going to let a few people get me down. Maybe one day they'll realize that they can trust me, Angel or no Angel, Mu-Type or no Mu-Type.' Anyone who won the Superpower Lottery can go around and play hero. But when push comes to shove, the chips start to fall, and it all goes downhill, that is when you separate the true heroes from the pretenders. I'll be honest with you: She's more of a hero than I'll ever be. For one, she wouldn't let her emotions drive her to actually kill someone."

Bonnie scoffed, "And who have you been driven to-" She stopped, remembering back at the warehouse, "Oh right…" She noted to ask him about that.

"Anyway, enough about the past… Let's focus on the now. What about you?" He gave her a glance, "How are you feeling right now?"

Bonnie sighed, "Honestly, I don't know… I mean this is what I've been waiting for! I'm excited to see my family. My real family! But…"

"But what?"

"…I'm scared. I have butterflies in my stomach, my heart is pounding… I mean, what if they don't like me? What if they don't accept me? What if it's the Rockwallers all over again? Then all of this would've been for nothing." If this fell through, then she probably was better off staying in Middleton. "Even now, I'm wondering if I should go through with this."

"Well you made it this far, might as well see it through to the end." Zach nodded, "Though, I guess this is where our fake relationship comes to an end."

She scoffed, "Thankfully." It was only a day and that _still_ was too long to be Zach Asters' girlfriend. Though it wasn't _that_ bad, but still…

"Yeah… I mean really, like that'd go well. Talk about a match made in hell."

"Seriously, the sooner this ends, the bett-" She blinked, realizing what he just said, "Wait… What the hell do you mean by that? Am I not good enough for you?"

"No! It's just would be so damn awkward, that's all."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with my sister, would it?"

"Umm, yeah… I've already dated one Hayden I'm not dating the other." He wasn't going to be that kind of guy who would try to bag both sisters. He had more integrity than that.

"Oh…" Bonnie wasn't sure whether to be offended or not, and even less _why_ would she. However, she didn't have long to dwell on it as she saw them approaching a more prestigious part of the city.

As they drove by, she saw a few houses pass by. Each in a large size and sophisticated! The lawns that surrounded the homes seemed to be well taken care of. The grasses were green and cut and there were a few exotic flowers planted. Overall, it was a neighborhood with quite the prestige. Possibly _her_ neighborhood! Hopefully, the people were as nice or at least polite.

"Here we are!" Zach announced as the call pulled over near a gate, "Hayden Manor!"

Bonnie took a quick look through the window as she saw the tall black gates that were held by a set of block pillars. Aside those were what appeared to be bushes that were just as tall that surrounded the area. For some reasons, the gates were open. Behind them was a paved road that contained a fountain that created a roundabout. Behind that was a mansion that appeared to be at least three stories tall. It's white-colored design was decorated with silver-colored shingles as the number of windows indicated to be at least eight rooms… or were there even more? The distance between the house and the gate had to be at least 50 yards.

Stepping out of the car, Bonnie took in the entire scene. "Is this… where I'll be living?" She shook her head. Now was not the time to for sightseeing. It was time to meet her family. Taking in a deep breath, "Okay, let's do this…" Before she could take a step, she heard the sound of tires moving on the pavement… "HEY!"

"Sorry… But…" Zach shook his head, the car backing up. "It's better that you go it alone."

"What? But you can't just leave me here? How am I-"

"Just call me if you need a ride!" He said before driving off, much to the brunette's outrage…

"I WILL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP!" She screamed at the leaving car before letting out a frustrated groan. The nerve of that guy! Now what the hell was she supposed to do? Whatever… Looks like now she had to go in there, if not for the fact that she needed a ride home. Still she could call Zach on his cell, but how the hell could she rely on that fool if he's willing to leave her at an unknown place. 'Thanks for nothing, Asters…' Seeing that there was no other option, Bonnie grabbed her bag as she made her way towards the front door.

Her boots walking through the paved road, Bonnie looked around the premises. She could spot over at a distance a woman knelt down near an area of flowers. 'Looks like Jen's doing a good job with the wild flowers. Wonder when she'll start on the other side?' She shook her head. What the hell? Jen? How the hell does she know her, or any of this? Why was she thinking of her like she was an acquaintance? This was getting creepy. 'Get it together, Bon-Bon.' She mentally smacked herself. Now she was referring herself as that much-despised nickname. Was she really going crazy?

After about a minute, Bonnie made it to the front patio as the butterflies began to work in her stomach. "Alright… Here goes…" Taking a deep breath, Bonnie pressed the button near the door knob as a classic chime sound rung throughout the home. "This is it…" She felt like running away or at least hyperventilating, but she knew she had to do this. She had to see this through to the end. She has to at least meet her parents face-to-face. …If they were really her parents. Upon moments the door slowly opened, revealing a tall, slightly older gentleman dressed in a black suit, complete with a matching bowtie.

"Can I help you, Miss?" He asked, with a hint of a British accent.

Mustering the courage to override her nervousness, "Umm…Hi, is this where Richard and Deborah Hayden live?" From the emotionless stare on his face, worry crept on her face. 'Please tell me this isn't the wrong house…'

"Yes this is their home. Are they expecting you?"

"Well yeah… I mean no… Wait, I mean…" Bonnie sighed. Hasn't been a minute and already she was making a fool out of herself, "It's complicated…"

"At any case, Mr. Hayden isn't here. He's at his office at this time. However, Mrs. Hayden is here," He informed.

"Bennett, who's at the door?"

Bonnie blinked at the sound of the voice. It contained a slight posh sound yet still down to earth. Its owner soon came over as she gained a good look at her. There she was. It had to be her! She looked just as she saw her in the painting back at Hayden-Tech. Only, she appeared to be dressed down in a pair of slacks and a simple blouse.

"A young guest has come by Miss Deborah!" He explained, "Apparently she has business with you."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow which Bonnie wondered if it was out of arrogance or genuine interest. Still Bonnie decided that it was best to just come to the point.

"Umm… Hello Miss Hayden. My name is Bonnie… and…" She noticed a slight change in the older woman's expression. Was it out of worry, shock, or was she appalled? This did not make Bonnie feel more comfortable, much less secure. "Well… This is going to sound strange, but…" It was now or never, "I'm… I'm your daughter…"

There, she said it…

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

As much of a relief it would be, silence filled the area between the three as Bonnie felt as if it were a year's worth. Not a single sound was made between them as Bonnie wondered if she said the wrong thing. Was she too straightforward, was she too blunt? Either way, the hard sound of a door slamming was her answer.

Seeing the white door only a few inches away from her face, Bonnie let out a sigh before placing herself on top of the steps. "Well… _That_ went well…" It happened. It actually happened… She came to look for her real parents and she got the door slammed in her face. Then again, considering that she did show up unannounced with an admittedly-outrageous claim, it would've been surprising if she actually believed her at face value. Still, what was she supposed to do now? She barely knew her place around Newport, much less this neighborhood. And thanks to a certain Fool putting his tail between his legs and running away she had no ride. While she did have her cell to call, who was she supposed to call? Zach? Get real! He was the only number available who could pick her up, and she had next to zero access to a phone number for a cab. Still, she could look up a few numbers online in the phonebook. Thank god for wireless web. She wouldn't have time to do much of anything, however, as within moments, the door opened once again…

"Sorry for that…" Deborah sighed, "That was quite rude of me to do that. It's just… When I first saw you, I thought you were my daughter, but from noticing your hair and eyes, I knew that you weren't Raquelle. But the thought then came to me that maybe, just maybe you were…" She shook her head, "But that would be too good to be true."

"But it is true…" Bonnie insisted. "I'm your daughter! I had a friend do a background check for me to find my birth parents and when he informed me of the results, he said that my DNA matched with yours."

"I want to believe you." She said, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "Believe me, I want to believe you, but I have to make sure. We have to make sure." She wiped the running tear from her cheek, "I've already called my husband with the news. He said that he'll meet us at the hospital."

The younger girl blinked, "Wait, you mean?"

"We'll undergo a paternity test. If you're really my daughter Fidelia, then… Then…" She could barely maintain her excitement thinking about it, but she knew it was best not to get her hopes up.

"I know…" Bonnie was on the verge of tears, herself. She already knew the truth, but the fact that her mother was willing to consider the idea enough to have a paternity test done showed a great sign. The test was all a formality, just for her parents to see that she was really their daughter.

**Newport Cemetery**

"…I mean, yeah I know we've started off on the wrong foot but now…." Zach sighed, facing a group of tombstones, "I dunno… I'm not exactly confident she'd be interested. In fact, I wonder if she actually likes me. Still, at least we don't hate each other anymore…"

"Aww… what's wrong? Heartache?"

Blinking, Zach turned to see a friend approaching him, "How long were you standing there?"

"I came by around the part where you started talking about how hot she was…" Cassidy slightly winced, "To put it in a better term…"

"Oh… Yeah…" Same crept in his face, "Sorry…"

"Don't worry! I've heard worse." She took a seat next to him. "So, how'd it go with Rockwaller?"

"I took Bonnie to the Haydens and that was it." The annoyed stare he got suggested otherwise, causing him to sigh, "Okay, I dropped her off and left her there. And yes, she's probably pissed off about it."

"Smooth move."

"I just couldn't go there. Not yet… Considering all that's happened between me and Raquelle, what would they think? It was hard enough to convince them to let her date me in the first place."

"And that sure paid off in the end, did it?"

He scoffed, "I really wanted to make it work. I really thought we had something. I really thought she had come around. Turned over a new leaf. Then she does this."

"Yeah…" Cassidy looked downward, her knees pulled to her chest. As much as she wanted to fight it, she couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt. "Well you can't save everyone."

"Yeah… At least the guys make good listeners. Especially when you don't want to burden anyone else with your problems…"

"I know. I've been here a few times to vent about mine. Still, it'd be better if they were still here."

"Yeah… We'd probably be losing a lot of money in pool right now!"

Cassidy snickers, "Up for a game?"

"You have the funds to wager?" Silence… "Didn't think so… So what brings you here anyway? I don't think you came here just to speak to old friends."

Sighing, "It's about Bonnie…"

"Bonnie? What about her?"

"You've seen the extent of her powers. At first, it was the ability to generate and manipulate sand. But after that…fusion with Nemesis, she picked up her healing abilities. Among other things…"

"Such as…"

"Mindflare and the others talked about this last night. They really see potential in her."

Zach wasn't sure if he liked where this was going, "You do know that she has little to no fighting experience, right?"

"We can train her to understand and utilize her abilities. Train her how to defend herself. Train her how to fight."

"Are you suggesting that we take a girl who's going through an identity crisis and draft her?"

"We know it's risky, but the payoff may be greater. Considering the alternative…"

"I doubt she'd go to Xanthos, considering what he did to her." He sighed, "Then again, I've been wrong a few times…" He wasn't sure that he even wanted Bonnie to be a part of this, let alone Omega Strike. The girl was already going through a lot already without having more responsibilities. Maybe Bonnie could handle it, maybe she couldn't. Either way, it would be her call.

**Newport Hospital 2nd Floor – Waiting Room**

For what felt like centuries, her eyes stared at her foot tapping the floor as Bonnie sat in the plastic chair outside the nearby room. Her jacket in one hand, the other used with an arm to hold her head up. She glanced towards her right as she saw her… well… her mother seated, hands hooked together by the fingers. She could notice the worry on her face. She couldn't blame her. She wondered how she would react if the result turned out that, upon a very rare chance at this point, she was not her mother after all! Then again, how would she react if it turned out that she was? What would be the ramifications that would come from this once the results came back?

'Alright Debbie, this is it…' The older woman took a small glance at the girl beside her. She seemed to have her hair. That was a good sign. But her eyes were the problem. One was blue and the other was green. Either it was due to contacts for a fashion statement or something had happened to her. It would also explain the blonde streak in her hair. Still, her heart told her that it was her. That this girl was truly Fidelia. She knew she couldn't and shouldn't risk becoming close to her, but it wouldn't hurt to make conversation. "So tell me Bonnie, where did you come from?"

Blinking at the suddenly of the question, "Well, I grew up in Middleton, Colorado. It's a small town, but the people are nice." She lowered her voice, "For the most part…"

"Middleton? Isn't that where Kim Possible lives?"

'Here we go…' Bonnie felt like rolling her eyes. Figured that the moment she mentioned being from Middleton, the first thing that came to mind was Kim! Part of the reason she left was to escape from Kim's as well as her sisters' shadows and build up her own reputation on her own accord. "Yeah, that's right."

"That's too bad." Deborah sighed, "How could someone do so much good turn out to be so troubled… I know that Xanthos tricked her into doing his dirty work, but still. If she was willing to do that, imagine what else she could possibly do? I wonder how you feel about all of this."

"Actually Mo… Miss Hayden, Kim and I weren't exactly the best of friends." She admitted.

"Oh?"

"When it came to Kim and me, we're… acquaintances at best. I don't know how this whole thing started between us! I guess it all started back at tryouts in Middle School! It was the last day and Kim the last person on the list of candidates. At the time, she had those horrible, horrible braces. I know this sounds really shallow, but the squad was going to be perfect. We couldn't allow any blemishes on the team! No matter how good they were, if they didn't look the part, then they didn't belong. So I gave her a routine that was impossible for her to do! Something that an Olympic athlete couldn't do! But somehow she did it, and with flying colors no less! The coach was so impressed that she was made Squad Captain."

"Then what happened?"

"I was angry! I've worked so hard and practice each day! Not to mention I already have a background in ballet so I know I was coordinated enough to nail the routines with perfection. I was the most experienced member on the squad and yet someone who just signed up just to give a try not only makes the squad but becomes squad captain?" She sighed, "My sisters had one big field day over that one."

"So you have sisters?"

An expression of disgust showed on the younger brunette's face, "Connie and Lonnie… Can't remember when but ever since then, they've always made my life hell. Criticizing every little thing I do, always make me feel as if I was a disease and that they were the doctors. I always wondered why they hated me so much. No matter what I do, no matter how perfect, how impressive, how fantastic it was, they would always look for the smallest thing to blemish that! And when they did, they said nothing! 'Good job, Bonnie!' 'That was wonderful, Bonnie!' Even a 'Way to go, Bon-Bon' would've been nice! But recently, I found out that I was adopted. So I guess that explained a lot…"

Listening on, Deborah couldn't imagine her baby going through a life like that. She knew of siblings who picked on the younger ones. But from what Bonnie was saying, they practically made her life hell. And did her parents know about this?

"My mom, Lori… Sometimes I felt that she was the only one who cared about me while my so-called father was nonchalant with me at best. And to think, I used to be Daddy's little girl. Once when he figured out that I wasn't as 'successful' as Connie or Lonnie, it was as if I was a 'failure' to him."

As she listened, a thought suddenly occurred to Deborah. "Bonnie… what is your father's name?" She asked, '…Could it be?'

"His name is Luther Rockwaller." She noticed her eyes widening at the mentioning of his name. "D-did I say something wrong?"

"No, no… It's nothing!" She tried to reassure to the worried girl. But hearing the name "Luther Rockwaller…" Another sign that she was Fidelia! She wouldn't have much time to dwell on it as the door to an elevator opened, revealing a man dressed in a black suit. Worried was evident on his face, but Bonnie knew who he was at first sight.

'So this is the girl…' He thought before walking towards his wife.

"Richard, what kept you-"

He cut her off, "I think we should discuss this privately and not in front of…" He glanced at Bonnie.

She nodded before turning to her, "We'll be right back…"

"Okay…" Bonnie watched the couple walk off as she noted the man's expression. Not one ounce of emotion towards her, let alone the possibility of her being his daughter. She was worried. Even if it was proven that she was his daughter, would he accept her regardless? It was bad enough having a father who saw you as a glorified example of a wasted investment, but having another who saw you as damaged goods? She couldn't imagine which would be worse! Still, despite how stern he looked, he didn't seem to be that bad. Only time would tell, she guessed…

Thinking about it now, Bonnie had to admit that she did miss her mom. While she may have not been her biological mother, Lori did raise her and took great care of her. If there was anyone out of the whole Rockwaller family she would actually miss, it was her. With her father has been more distant towards her since high school and her sister being as abusive as ever, it was nice to see someone in her family who actually give a damn about her, regardless of the mistakes she has made. Even thinking about her now makes her miss home, if only because she wasn't here. She could be annoying at times. Very, _very_ annoying and embarrassing, but she still loved her.

Sighing, she reached for her cell. The least she could do is call her, if only to let her know that she was okay. 'Mom…' Hearing the ring back, Bonnie waited for her to answer. 'I'm sorry, but I have to do this…' At the sound of a phone picking up, before Bonnie could even say a word, she heard a sound of a phone hanging up. "The hell?" She dialed again, only to get the same result! What was this? Was Connie and Lonnie doing this? One more time… But this time…

"_NOBODY MISSES YOU! LOSE OUR NUMBER!"_

Hung up on once again, Bonnie clinched her fists at Lonnie's screaming at her. No surprised they would pull this stunt. Bitches… Reminding herself that there were more important matters, she calmed herself as she placed away her cell.

"Miss Rockwaller?"

Blinking at the sound of the name that would soon mean nothing to her, she turned to the doctor, a not too old gentleman dressed in white coat. "Yes?"

"We have the results back. Where are Mr. and Mrs. Hayden?"

"They had to step out. They'll be back in a bit."

"Well then, at any case, could you please give them this?" He handed her a sealed envelope.

Receiving it, "Are these?"

He nodded, "The paternity results. I wanted to present them with both of them present."

"We can wait." She said. She was in no rush. There was plenty of time to wait. It wasn't as if she was in a hurry. Fortunately, she did not have to wait long…

"Sorry it took so long." Deborah apologized before the couple noticed the doctor and the envelope in Bonnie's hand. "Are those-"

Nodding, Bonnie handed them to the older gentleman as he proceeded to unseal the white envelope. She noticed Deborah take a deep breath as Richard pulled out the inside document. This was it. This was the moment of truth. She already knew the result was going to be positive. But there was still a small chance it may turn out to be false. And she wasn't sure if they were willing to take another test. As she watched the two read the results, she saw tears forming in Deborah's eyes… Before she could respond, she found herself in her embrace.

"Oh Fidelia…" She muttered, tears pouring down her cheek, "Oh Fidelia…"

Richard watched his wife hug the girl who was revealed to be their daughter. He didn't want to believe it at first, given how long it took for them to get past the pain of losing their daughter. Once he had made that deal with Luther, let alone on the day he came to collect, both knew that they would never see her again. But here she was, standing right in front of him! Christmas was soon, but this was a great early present. He tried his hardest to suppress his tears. As a man with his stern reputation, he couldn't let his emotions flow. Not in public! Not in this suit! But given the circumstances, this sign of great fortune, this would be an exception…

Feeling the embrace of both parents, Bonnie could feel the emotion radiating between the both of them. All for her! She was beginning to get a bit tear-eyed herself. She knew this day would come, but never did she imagine it would be like this. This was a love she hasn't felt in a long time.

…

"I have to get back to the office." Richard informed much to his wife's dismay.

"Richard…"

"As much as I would like to get to know my daughter, I still have my responsibilities at the company. Nevertheless, I'll try to get home as soon as I can. We have a lot to talk about." He kissed her before turning to Bonnie, "I'll see you when I get home."

"I can't wait…Dad." She said. It was strange to call someone other than Luther Rockwaller "Daddy." But it would come naturally in time. He _was_ her father, after all…

"Now I have to get going." With a nod, Richard made his way towards his parked Porsche. He was in an important meeting before his wife called and needed to get back as soon as possible. For all he knew, his potential business partners' patience could be exhausted at this point.

"So when will I meet the rest of my family?" Bonnie asked.

"You'll meet them soon enough," Deborah assured as the two walked towards her…_their_ limo. The lost daughter had finally returned. All was now right in the world!

While this was a special occasion for the family, not everyone was happy…

Watching the scene between the happy family, a pair of mismatched eyes glared at the display of love and affection. "You've already stolen my boyfriend, now my family, too?" With a scoff, she turned away as the back of her long coat flared. Heading towards her limo, a simple nod was what the driver needed to know of the designated destination. She didn't know for sure what the brief fusion has done to her or what infections she may have inherited from her so-called "sister." But she knew one thing: Blood be damned, Bonnie Rockwaller was an impostor and a usurper to the Hayden family name and needed to be eliminated. She could care less about what, where, or when she would do it. But the fact remained the same.

Something must be done.

* * *

Next Chapter: On her first day as a Hayden, Bonnie prepares to undergo training from Zach!

**Chapter 6:** Meet Bonnie Hayden! The Training Begins


	6. Meet Bonnie Hayden! The Training Begins!

**Chapter 6:** Meet Bonnie Hayden! The Training Begins!

"Do I have any siblings?"

Deborah blinked at her daughter's words, "Pardon?" She was deep in her own thoughts, whether it was from the sense of reuniting with her child, that she had forgotten the possibility of her having questions that needed to be answered.

Bonine sighed, "I asked if I had any siblings! Do I have a brother? Or a sister? Or even both?" She already knew the answer to her question. …Somewhat. She already knew about her twin sister. But she needed to know if she had any more siblings. More importantly, would this be Connie and Lonnie all over again?

Closing her eyes, "You do have a twin sister: Raquelle."

"Really? What's she like?"

She shook her head, "To be honest, I'm not so sure anymore. We always knew that she could be a bit headstrong, perhaps pigheaded at times. But at least when she started something she was always determined to see things through to the end."

"Did she have any friends?"

"There were a few people she considered acquaintances, friends not so much. While we did always see her around a group of people, we never got a sense that they were really those who cared about Raquelle the person as much as Raquelle, Richard Hayden's daughter."

"So… Fake friends?" Bonnie rolled her eyes, remembering all the hanger-ons who used to swarm her, "I can relate to that."

"Later year she grew increasingly moody. Whether it was from her being spoiled, or was it because the praises she would get from people felt… insincere. All we know is that we could barely speak to her without a sarcastic response. It was a mystery to us both why she was acting this way. We've been nothing but supportive and caring towards her.

"Wow… Was there anyone she _ever_ cared about?" Bonnie wasn't sure she could believe what she was hearing. 'Was I ever that bad towards Lori?'

"To her, every one of her peers was beneath her and thus a waste of time. While there were people who were around her, but there wasn't any real emotional connection. Then there was one person…"

'Let me guess: Asters…' She already knew a bit about their relationship. Actually, she just knew that they used to date.

"To be honest, your father and I, we didn't think much of Zach Asters. For one, as shallow as it sounds, he went to a public school. At that time we were very concerned about the type of people she associated herself with. We always told her to never associate with people below her level, much less date them. Our opinion of him fell even further when we realized _why_ he went to public school when all of his siblings went to private school. It didn't help that the person he injured was the son of a family friend. Based on that alone, we thought of him as nothing more than a delinquent who we wouldn't want anywhere near our daughter. But after a while, we started to see a change in her. She was more approachable, less confrontational. She was actually happy! It was then that we thought, maybe Zach wouldn't be so bad of an influence. If anything, he's been a great influence."

'Somehow I find that hard to believe…'

"Then this whole Mu-Type nonsense started." Deborah sighed, "When we found out what she became, what she had done, we were lost on what to do. We couldn't just discipline her otherwise she would've retaliated in a vicious manner. Then your father thought about cutting all ties with her, given that we had so much to lose. But we've already had lost one daughter, we didn't want to lose the other, as well. We tried asking Zach, wondering if he knew why she was acting this way, but he was at a loss as well. He didn't know what to do. He said as much as he wanted her to come to her senses, even he was starting to think it was impossible."

Bonnie was aghast at what she was hearing. Was Raquelle that far on the other side that she couldn't be brought back? She would have to ask Zach about that sometime later. She didn't want to lose any possible chance of reconciliation with her sister. She owed it to herself to develop a positive relationship with at least _one_ of her sisters. She wouldn't allow it to become another Connie and Lonnie situation. She refused to let that happen.

Wanting to switch for a more positive discussion, Deborah brought to attention what she's been wondering since she saw her. "May I ask you what happened to your eyes?"

Bonnie blinked, "Pardon?"

"Your eyes, are you wearing special contacts? Or did something happen?" She knew that the moment their relatives knew of this development, they would be on their way to meet her. And those eyes would be unacceptable. If they were just fashionable contacts, then it would be a different story. But from the looks of things, there were no signs of them in place.

Sighing, Bonnie knew that she couldn't just lie her way out of this one. She knew that there will be medical appointments made, so the truth would come out sooner or later. "This is gonna take a while…" She saw the anxious look on her mother's face as she decided to tell her about her life. Growing up in Middleton, her family, and going to school. She mentioned the friends she had made, especially Tara. And then she mentioned when Zach came to Middleton. How they didn't get along at first, yet they were able to become friends through a project they were working on.

'So she knows Zach, too…' Deborah wasn't sure what to think of it. While she knew _now_ that Zach was a good guy, this was just too coincidental for her tastes.

Bonnie then mentioned about being sent to jail for a crime she did not commit. She didn't mentioned Zach being sent to the hospital as she didn't want this leading to her having to explain why she drugged him in the first place, or that Kim was the one who set her, so she just stated that another student framed her for drugging one of her friends. Whether it was as a token of not-friendship-but-respect or out of sympathy knowing what she was currently going through, she didn't know. But Kim had enough problems as it was. When she mentioned running away from home due to the abuse at home intensifying after her arrest, she was careful to leave out Kim's name, saying that two guys who knew some guy name Xanthos who could solve her problems told her about her being set up, which lead to her becoming a Mu-Type.

'Just like Raquelle…' She sighed, trying hard not to imagine the hell she had to have gone through.

Bonnie mentioned that the Xenocide used on her was unstable and when used with the antidote Kim gave her, it seemed to only make the situation worse. She decided not to tell her what kind of Mu-Type was she or her abilities were, given that in all honesty she wasn't sure herself. She didn't mention breaking into Hayden-Tech as she didn't want to explain why she was there in the first place, simply saying that she encountered a girl who looked a lot like her. When she tried to attack her, X got involved and it led to a brief merging of herself and Raquelle before they split back apart, thus explaining her current appearance.

"Wow…" She silently said not sure if she could believe this. But now that she thought about it, she could see a bit of Raquelle in her left eye. "So this ability, how often can you… You know…"

"I'm… Not sure… From what I've seen it just comes and goes. Usually whenever I get stressed or frustrated. But I'm working on it!"

"I see…" This was something that would definitely need to be fixed before she was seen in public. Raquelle had already done enough damage to the Hayden family's reputation as it was. "But at any case, there's so much that needs to be done."

Bonnie nodded, "So we're heading home, right?"

"Now? Fidelia, there's so much we need to do! Getting new contacts to fix those eyes, registering you for classes, not to mention obtaining your medical records…"

"Actually, I already have my medical records with me!" She explained. Prior to leaving Middleton, she decided to gather all that she needed to make sure that she would have zero reason to return. At all…

"Well then, that saves us some trouble now, doesn't it?"

Bonnie could only nod. This was the start of a new beginning for her and at this rate things could only get better!

**The Shoppe**

"Hi, can I take your order?"

"Yes, I would like a cheeseburger with extra pickles and no tomatoes, some wings, and a drink!"

Imputing the items into the register, Zach glanced at the customer; a young teenage boy, "Alright, that'll be $9.25." The exchange of money and receipt was made, "Alright guys, let's get started on that burger and wings!"

A guy around Zach's age nodded, "Alright, one cheeseburger coming up!"

"Don't forget the extra pickles." Zach placed the order receipt on the rack, "And nix the tomatoes."

"You got it!" A girl nodded, her black hair held up in place by a hairnet, as she placed a batch of chicken wings into the fryer.

"Your food should be ready in about five minutes!" He said as the smiling customer took a seat at the bar, "May I suggest some desert while you're waiting. Ice cream, perhaps?"

"No thank you." He said as Zach moved on to the next customer: This time a stocky-looking girl. "Hi, can I take your order?"

"Hi yes, can I have the 'Flavor of the Day?'" She asked, much to Zach's delight.

"Really now? Will that be a shake or tub?"

"The Flavor's Strawberry Cheesecake, right? How about a large shake?"

"Alright, how thick do you want it?"

"Extra thick!"

"Alright! One extra thick 'Flavor of the Day milkshake,' coming right up!"

Sitting at a nearby booth, Cassidy watched as Zach carried out the order. He seemed to be lively, she noted. Either he was really happy to be home, or he really went at it with the shakes. Still, there were other matters that were more important: Namely, Bonnie Rockwaller – soon to be Hayden. Her personal opinion of the girl aside, Bonnie's power showed great potential and could prove to be a true asset of the team. Though she was inexperienced and unskilled, her usefulness would come in time. She may have her reservations about bringing her into Omega Strike, but it was better than the alternative of her joining up with one of Xanthos' followers. He may be gone for now, but anyone could see that it would've been a matter of time before he reared his sickening head again.

Speak of the devil, the chime-like sound of bells ringing signified the door opening as she saw a tanned leg step inside. Notable under the black platform loafer was a navy knee-length sock. The skirt was pleated in a gray tartan style as over a white blouse was a navy blazer with the school shield of red, blue and gold placed on the left breast near the lapel. Save for the matching tie. Perhaps the most notable thing of all was that her eyes were blue, _both_ of them. 'Must've gotten contacts…' She didn't know why the hell she was wearing her school uniform, given that the schools were out for Winter Break by the end of the week (Would've been a bad time to start classes at this point). But she supposed it was for her to make a statement: She was rich, she was privileged, and she had no problems flaunting it. Great…

"Alright, here's your change!" Zach handed over a few dollar bills and a few coins to a slightly-older gentleman as he grabbed his French fries and soda before noticing a familiar customer. "Hey Bonnie? …Um…What's with the uniform?"

"Oh, you noticed?" She feigned surprise. "I just enrolled in Perry." She modeled, "The uniforms do look nice, but only I can pull it off."

Cassidy rolled her eyes at the pure display of arrogance, 'Definitely has no problems flaunting it…'

"While you're flipping burgers, I on the other hand am enjoying my newfound wealth." Her response earned applause, though she wasn't sure if it was out of sarcasm or out of jest.

"Well, well, well… Look at you, Bonnie Rockwaller's made it to the good life."

"I'll stop you right there." She stated, "Bonnie Rockwaller no longer exists. I am, now and forever, Bonnie Hayden. …Actually, Fidelia Bonnie Hayden is my full name, but you should just call me Bonnie."

"Works for me," He shrugged, "Would've been something to get used to… Not like there wasn't anything else already."

"Yeah, whatever…" She waved off, "Zach, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Hmm…" He glanced at the clock above two nearby tables. It was five-till-one, thus he figured he could take off a bit earlier this one time. "Yo Brad, I'm gonna punch out for lunch. Take care of things, will ya?"

"Sure Zach, no problem." He responded, much to the brunette's satisfaction.

"Great…" A dark grin formed on her face as within an instant, she grabbed Zach's wrist…

"HEY!" He found himself pulled over the bar as he barely landed on his feet, "I can walk…" He found himself led upstairs, passing the pool tables and near the two doors to their respected restrooms before he felt himself released from the grip. "Okay, so what's the-" He felt a sharp painful force on his face as he blinked in shock, "Why the hell did you that f-"

"Why the hell did you leave me back there?" She snapped back. "Seriously, you just got in your car and left me!"

"Well it worked out, didn't it? You found your family and you were accepted, right?"

"That's not the point! The point is that you ditched me! I was counting on you for support and you just abandoned me! How the hell can you justify that?"

"Okay, I admit! Just leaving you like that was a dick move. But think about this for a moment: How do you think your mom would've reacted if she saw me there with you! I don't think I've told you this, but my relationship with your parents isn't exactly the best. In fact, they would've been less likely to believe you if I hadn't left! Not to mention that I just came from a relationship with your sister. How would that look? What would they think about that?"

'All goes back to Raquelle again…' Bonnie was now really curious about their relationship. All she knew was that it ended badly, but how and why? She knew that her parents weren't really supportive of the relationship at first, but…

"Anyway, was that all you wanted to talk to me about. To bitch at me for leaving you?"

"Well, you could make it up to me by buying me something nice," She stated smugly.

"Umm, I don't know if you haven't noticed, but we're not exactly dating. Anyway, I have something I need to talk to you about."

She blinked, "To me? About what?"

Zach sighed, 'Was this really a good idea?' He wasn't sure if he agreed with this, but it was worth giving it a shot, given the circumstances. "It's about your newfound abilities. I've been talking to the guys about this and I was wondering…"

"Go on…" Already she was getting annoyed. What, she hasn't been a Hayden for a day and already the fool was asking for a handout?

"How would you like to be a part of our team?"

She blinked, "Wait, what?"

"We've only seen a glimpse of your power, and we see potential in you. How would you like to put those abilities to use for something greater, for something worth fighting for? How would you like to be a part of something bigger, something that could change the fate of the world, for Mu-Types and non-Mu-Types alike?"

"Wait… Are you asking me to become… A superhero?"

"In a matter of speaking…" Zach noticed the skeptical look he was receiving.

"Pretending for a moment that I fully have control of my powers, you know that I have little to no combat experience, right?"

'You're telling me…' But still, "We'll work on that. At any case, the offer still stands. We could use someone like you on our team. I won't force the issue on you, but I'll give ya till three to think about it."

"And what if I decide that I don't want to be a part of your stupid group?"

"Then that'll be the end of it," He stated, beginning to walk off, "Simple as that!"

Bonnie raised a brow, "You don't seem especially concerned about me joining, let alone trying to convince me."

"I'm trying to remain neutral about this. As much as I would like for you to join, I'm not going to be the one pushing for you." He stated, "Last time I did that for someone, it ended badly."

She scoffed, "You're telling me. Nemesis must've done one hell of a job on you." She then blinked, 'Wait a minute, how did I know that?' Nobody told her that her sister used to be a member of Omega Strike, let alone betrayed them. How the hell did she know this? She shook her head, 'This is starting to be scary…'

"Hey you coming, or are you gonna hang out here?" Zach's voiced teased, much to her frustration.

"You could be patient!" She frowned, slowly following him. Should she tell him about the weirdness she's been experiencing, or the memories?

**Location: Undisclosed**

"Explain to me why I'm doing this again?"

The older man only smiled at the girl, who stood inside of a glass cylinder. As he examined her appealing, athletic body, due to the skimpy bodysuit she was wearing, a smile formed on his face, 'Yes, she will do nicely.'

"Hello? Are you going to keep gawking at me all day, you dirty old man?"

He blinked, returning to his senses, "Oh no. I was just admiring the piece of beauty before me."

Nemesis rolled her eyes, "Whatever, can we get this over with?"

He nodded, "Of course…. Though, I may warn you that it will scan your entire DNA. And I do me _all_ of it."

She sighed, knowing exactly what he meant. Her new blue eye, complements of her "sister." "How long do I have to stand here?"

"Not too long, my dear. This should take no more than a minute or so."

Sighing, she felt nervous as the white ring of light slowly descended around her, scanning her entire body. She wondered if this would really serve to be beneficial or was it just a blatant excuse for her to be nearly naked for this perv's arousal. He did seem to be the type who would pimp out his own daughter if it would suit him. Still, if the old perv actually kept his end of the bargain, it would be worth it. Then all of her problems would be solved.

**Burger King**

"So how long you two have been friends?"

Turning towards Zach, "You want to answer this one?"

"Nah, you go ahead, Cas."

Mentally shrugging, "About two years now, though we've haven't exactly been unfamiliar with each other."

Zach added, "I mean I've seen her around school, but not that much. Then we had to work on that one assignment together in class…"

"And we clicked!"

Bonnie raised a brow, "Somehow, I doubt it would be just that simple." And she thought Possible and Stoppable's friendship was unlikely, let alone ridiculous. Cassidy was more or less a nerd and Zach, for all of his faults, barely qualified as a jock. If anything, Zach would more likely be beating her down and shoving her into lockers. What the hell would they have in common, what would even bring them together in the first place, let alone as close as they were now? 'Maybe it's because they didn't care. That they just liked each other's company. God knows he'd be willing to take _her_ side over that of his actual girlfriend…'

Bonnie blinked in shock. Where did that come from? How the hell would she know he would choose Cassidy over her? Well, they're friends, but over his girlfriend? She shook her head, 'What's wrong with me?'

"Bonnie, are you feeling okay?"

Hearing Zach's voice snapped her out of her own world, "Yeah… I'm fine."

"You sure," Cassidy begged to differ, "Cause you've been spacing out during the whole ride here. It was a miracle we didn't crash!"

"Look I'm fine!" Bonnie shook her head, reaching for an onion ring, "Let's just enjoy our food, alright?"

Zach and Cassidy turned to each other, wondering what was really bothering her, before they proceeded to return to their meals – Triple Stacker and Tendergrill respectively. If Bonnie wanted to talk about it, she would. There was no point of forcing the issue. After about a few minutes of silence…

"I'll be right back, need to go to the restroom," Excusing herself, Cassidy left the booth, leaving Zach and Bonnie alone.

"Anything you want to tell me?" He asked, feeling that she would be more open to talking to him with just them alone.

"If it has anything to do with you and Cassidy recruiting me, then I'm still thinking about it." She simply said.

Zach blinked, "What? What does Cassidy have-"

"Don't think I don't know what the two of you do in your spare time." Bonnie stated much to Zach's shock.

'Somehow, she knows Cas is Saber…' Either she was really good at figuring people out, or there was something else going on with her. "Actually, I'm more concerned about you blanking out."

"Oh…" She paused. So he really wasn't going to press the recruitment on her. Still, she wasn't exactly comfortable about discussing this particular problem with him, either. "Well, it's nothing. Nothing to concern yourself with…" At least until she could figure it out herself.

"It's cool. Though, if you have a problem or need help, you can always come to me, okay?"

'Really?' Bonnie knew Zach was just trying to be a good friend, but could she really rely on him, or will he have more "personal reasons" and leave her to fend for herself? Still, it wouldn't exactly hurt to give him one more chance. "Thanks Zach."

"But seriously, the offer, think about it real carefully. Because if you do join us, I can tell you right now that it won't be a walk in a park." He glanced down at his watch, 'Damn, it's getting late.' The ride back to The Shoppe would take 15 minutes minimum, and Bonnie didn't seem to be halfway done with her food. Thus, he rose from his chair. "I'll give ya till three to come to a decision. If you're game, meet me at the gym at that time."

Bonnie blinked, "Wait, where are you-"

"I'm heading back to The Shoppe. Don't want to be late on my first day back. And the trolley should be stopping at the nearest stop in about 2 minutes anyway," Zach assured. "If Cas comes by, tell her I went back to work."

"But-" She sighed, "Fine…" It was for the best that Zach left, and hopefully took Cassidy with him. Then she would have time to think things over.

A few minutes passed and no sign of Cassidy anywhere. 'Maybe she went with Zach…' Figuring that she was alone, now she could think about her decision without any pressure or interruptions.

Being a hero… No, it wasn't a hero, but a "Superhero." Wasn't that the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard? Then again, given the fact that people like X and Saber, and their ilk existed, it wasn't exactly preposterous. But still, _her_ a hero? Didn't she have to fit some certain requirements to be one, such as being sugary sweet, kind, and selfless? You know, be like Kim? Then again, someone like Machpunch derails the whole argument. Still, being a hero, let alone a _Super_hero was quite the tall order.

Then there's getting a new costume. Of course she would have to go for something stylish, but not something that would leave her completely open. It had to be something that complemented her, something that expressed her personality. But then again, that would defeat the purpose, given that she wouldn't be Bonnie Rock…err…Hayden. She would be Sand Girl, Lady Sahara, or whatever her code name would be.

Forgetting about materialistic things for a moment, she went over the pros and cons of joining Omega Strike. The good thing was that this would be an opportunity of her learning to controlling her powers, perhaps even developing them. Clearly there had to be plenty of things she could do with sand. She would get some new friends in Omega Strike…for the most part. And, like Zach said, she could be a part of something big, something that truly mattered. Who knows, perhaps she could become a better hero than Kim ever was.

Then there were the cons. One, for all the good things she would do, it would not be her who was recognized for them. Rather her Superhero identity that would have the credit. Granted, it was still her, but she couldn't just tell anyone that. Otherwise, she would put her family and friends at risk, despite the appeal of the idea of Connie and Lonnie being tortured. Another and more important factor to consider was the danger. Each time she would put on the costume, she would be placing her life at risk, whether it came from the terrain, the criminals/enemies she would face, or whatever danger that could occur. Each day she went out there in her costume could potentially be her last, _period_. And then there was her life, the life _outside_ of the cape. To say that her "hero time" would cut into her personal life would be quite the understatement. But if Kim was able to balance that, then why couldn't she? Then again Kim didn't have her own secret identity. Which brought up another thing: Kim didn't have to hide her identity when she did her hero thing and yet no one thought about going after her family until recently. Then again, the people who went after them weren't from Middleton so she guessed that said a lot about the villains back home. Thinking about it now, no wonder Kim was easy to manipulate. About 99 percent of all the villains Kim had to face were those who were easy to identify as villains. I mean, who in the right mind wouldn't think someone like Drakken or Shego were villain material. Just bring any friendly face into the picture and Kim will at least be willing to trust them. It was how Xanthos managed to trick Kim into helping him create that Xenocide that nearly killed her in the first place. Then again, the fact that she dropped Stoppable the moment she found out that the new guys weren't playing around showed that she wouldn't either.

Sighing, Bonnie proceeded to finish her food. The decision she would make would either be the best decision of her life, ore possibly the _last_ decision of her life.

**Gold's Gym – Newport**

"So you just got out of class? …Cool, cool! …Nah, she isn't here yet. Though, I'm not really expecting her to. She's been going through a lot lately and is still getting settled here. …Yeah, just came here last night! …Alright, I'll see ya when you get there. Later Gibbs!"

Placing his cell phone in his bag, Zach let out a sigh. The time was now 3PM. This was now the moment of truth. Whether Bonnie decided to train and become a member of Omega Strike, or whether she would rather keep her dull, but peaceful and safe life. In all honesty, he still had his reservations. Bonnie barely knew about her powers as it was. He knew that the alternative was possibly leaving her to be picked up by one of Xanthos' followers or anyone else who would love to take advantage of her powers. But at the same time, it would be nice for her to be able to get a handle on her powers if only to keep them from going out of control, let alone during inopportune times. Whatever the case may be, perhaps it would be for the best: If Bonnie decided to no show then her decision was clear. And besides, he and Gibbs could spar for a few hours and hone their skills.

Turning towards a boxing ring, he watched as two fighters fought each other: One in the red shorts, the other in cammo. Each of them was decked in pads from the protective headgear to the shin guards. As high kicks and fast punches were traded and blocked, Zach thought that this would be an interesting fight. After about three more minutes, the fight ended as the guy in the red shorts helped his cammo-clad opponent back to his feet before shaking hands. There were at least two more fights before he would be able to have use of the ring.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

Zach blinked as he turned around only to find Bonnie standing before him. Dressed in a white sports bra, pink hot pants, and white trainers, Zach closed his eyes. "Hmm…"

"What?" She blinked before wondering if it was her outfit. Admittedly, it caused a smirk to form on her face, "Am I that irresistible to you? Do you wish that I was still your girlfriend?"

Zach scratched his head, "If I would've known… Bah, whatever. We can work with this." Anyways, "So I guess you showing up here means that's you're in, am I right?"

"Let's just say that I'm intrigued. But one thing though: Call me a sidekick and I'm outta here."

"Don't worry. We don't have sidekicks in our group. Though you'll still be considered a lower-ranking member, given that you're a newbie at this…"

"Okay, so… Why do we have to meet up in the gym? I figured we'd be working on more _important_ things." She stated. It was obvious what she was talking about.

"First, we'll get to that when you've proven to be ready for it." Zach explained, "And second, we have to go over the basic fundamentals. You just can't rely on certain things, y'know? Especially when they might not be available when it counts."

Bonnie raised a brow, "So that's what this is about? You're training me how to fight? Umm, no offense, but I've seen you train Stoppable. And we all know how well that turned out."

"If you mean by managing to hold his own against an unruly mob, I'd say that it went very well. Especially considering that he did way better than I thought he would."

"He did have help!"

"But still, he managed to carry his own weight, so there." Moving on, "Anyway we won't start just yet! There are at least two guys ahead of us so we'll have to wait. Also, we have to wait for Gibbs to get here. Then the party can really start."

"Gibbs?" Bonnie blinked before wondering, "So this 'Gibbs' is a hottie, right?"

Zach nodded, "Oh yeah."

'Something to look forward to…' At first, Bonnie had her reservations even if she was willing to join Omega Strike. For one thing, given that she was to meet him at the gym she already had an idea what Zach would have in mind. But given that all he was wearing was a pair of black and red shorts and black gloves and shin guards, it looked as if he was looking for a fight! Did he expect her to get in the ring and fight? Against them? Hell, against _him_? This was definitely not what she was expecting, let alone signed up for. But knowing that Zach knew a hottie that was apparently on his way here, she would stick around. Who knows, maybe he could knock Asters around a bit.

The sound of the bell ringing signified the end of the fight in the ring as the Russian-looking guy casually left the ring while the shorter man in the grey and blue trunks shook whatever cobwebs that were in his head out. Judging from a small drop of blood in the ring, she wondered if that would be her fate? Would she get bloody? Suddenly, she wondered if it was all worth it. Even if it would lead to meeting an absolute beefcake of a hottie! It wasn't long before she saw a tall gentleman near the entrance way.

As he stood at the door, his chestnut hair was tied back into a ponytail as a black tank top highlighted his slim, yet muscular build. His black wind pants hid his legs, but her intuition told her that they were likely well toned. This had to be Gibbs, it just had to be him! Zach did say that he was a hottie! One thing was for sure: She wouldn't mind having him train her. Helping her execute exercises and workout routines correctly with the correct form and pace – hands-on of course! Oh, definitely hands-on! She could imagine his strong, firm arms and hands holding her tightly. His fingers playing with her body, finding their way to all the right spots! Zach could hit the bricks for all she cared. In fact, with him around, who needed Asters in the first place? Oh right, he had to introduce them first. Her mistake… Now if only he'd stop flirting with Blondie over there…

Bonnie watched as Zach walked over towards the couple. Hopefully to break up this annoying display so they could finally get on with it. Good, they're high-fiving. Now they could get this started, leaving Princess over there behind, and more importantly Zach introducing them. …Wait, where was he going? Why was he leaving? Wasn't he supposed to help train her? Why wasn't Zach…Oh god, he wasn't…

"You can't be serious!" Bonnie watched as that girl smiled towards the fool! Zach said that he's waiting on Gibbs to arrive! Here he is, yet he's standing there _flirting_ with _her_? Doesn't he have any respect? For _her_? Is this how he treats his girlfriend? She shook her head at the thought, 'What's wrong with me?' They were just pretending to date, so she shouldn't even care about this? Still, it was annoying to be set to the side for some blonde bimbo who'd probably give it up the first chance she got. Maybe that was Zach was hoping for. He did seem to be that type of guy.

Annoyed, Bonnie couldn't take this anymore as she walked over towards the "happy couple." "Alright Asters, what's the deal! We've been waiting for almost 15 minutes and you're talking to her?"

The blonde blinked before turning towards Zach, "What's her problem?"

"Nothing, she's just anxious to get started," Zach explained.

"Yeah, no offense Blondie, but Zach and I pretty busy."

She raised a brow, "Is she like your girlfriend?"

"Not really. She's just a good pal of mine. Don't worry, she's like this with everyone. But she's quite nice once you get to know her."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, can we grab Gibbs and get started already?"

Zach blinked, "…But she's right here?"

"Yeah, I know she's cute and all! But we need to start training alrea-" His words registered in her mind, "Wait what?"

"Gibbs is right here, Bonnie!" He said as the blonde next to him nodded, much to the brunette's shock.

"You can't be serious…" She shook her head. "You mean to tell me that we've waited all this time… for _her_?"

"Yeah…" She explained, "My name's Maya Gibson. Thus, 'Gibbs!'"

"Yeah Bonnie," Zach added. "What were you expecting?"

"What was I expecting? Well let's see…Umm, I don't know? THAT HOTTIE OVER THERE, PERHAPS?" She snapped, pointing to the guy who she _thought_ was Gibbs.

"Oh, Jackson? Yeah… Nice guy. His girlfriend's pretty cute, too! You should've seen them at the talent show last year."

"Wow…" She chuckled shaking her head in disbelief, "This is… This is wow…"

"Well Bonnie, you got yourself a choice: Who are you gonna fight, Maya or me?"

"Really… You're really doing this?" Bonnie couldn't believe this. Did Asters actually believe that this… _girl_ knew anything about fighting? But whatever, she might as well humor him for a bit. "You know what? I'm gonna fight her, okay? I'm gonna go one on one with 'Gibbs' here!"

"You serious?"

"I'm as serious as my growing desire to pummel you into a bloodied pulp right now!" If he wanted to joke around, then his little bimbo was going to pay the price.

Maya only grinned, "It's your funeral."

Bonnie blinked as she watched her walk towards the locker room, "What does she mean by that? Is she actually serious?"

"Yeah… She's changing into her gear right now. Speaking of which, you need to get some yourself."

She glared, "You could've told me that sooner before I came here?"

"Chillax, you can check some out." He said as he walked over towards a counter. After signing his name, he was given a pair of white padded gloves, shin guards, and head gear. After the exchange of cash, he was given a package that contained a black mouthpiece. Heading back towards Bonnie, "Alright, put these on…"

With a nod, Bonnie took a seat on the bench as she began to undo her shoelaces, "So this is proper fighting attire?"

"It is for this fight." Zach explained as he watched Bonnie remove her socks before handing her the shin guards "Now slip these on."

Sliding her leg into one, she felt the bottom of her foot touch the elastic at the bottom as the upper pad covered her knee. "These straps are to secure them on tightly…right?"

Zach nodded, watching her place the other shin guard on before handing her the gloves. "These go without saying."

"Duh!" Bonnie quickly placed on and strapped the gloves, "And I'll be needing this!"

"Hey!" Zach felt the elastic band that tied his dreadlocks back snatched, causing his braids to flow freely as he watched Bonnie placed her now-longer hair into a high ponytail before placing on the head gear.

"How do I look, battle-ready?" She asked as she stood there before him. Despite how impromptu it was, the pads actually matched with her workout attire.

"Not quite…" Removing the packaging, Zach quickly slipped the mouthpiece into her mouth, much to her shock. "How does it feel?"

"Uncomfortable!" She said, muffled.

"Yeah, you're supposed to heat it up first to make it flexible before placing it into your mouth so it'll take shape. But we're short on time." He raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you want to fight-"

"Yes! For the last time, I do want to fight her!" She stated. 'Let's see how good your precious bimbo is, Asters…' She wasn't going to be upstaged by her. Whatever trick he was trying to pull on her will backfire. "I mean it's not like she's much of a challenge anyway."

"I wouldn't be so sure!" He said in a singsong voice.

Bonnie was not amused by his tone of voice, "…What do you mean by that? Wait, is she some kind of Mu-"

"Hey Asters, the ring's ready now?"

"…Type?" Bonnie turned towards the source of the voice as her eyes widened in shock. Standing right before her was Maya Gibson, who was already decorated in black pads. Her longer green shorts were more suitable for the activity at hand compared to the ones her opponent was wearing. Her hair was also in a ponytail, but somehow in a spikier, wildish style. The most notable about her was how toned and defined her body was, especially her abs. …Oh god, her abs…

'I am so dead…' Bonnie's face didn't show any signs of faltering, but on the inside she was scared. Wondering what exactly did she get herself into? Or rather, what exactly did Asters con her into? Speaking of the fool, all he did was shrug. Not a word, just a simple shrug! He knew that she wouldn't want to fight him and why would she! She's seen him fight a few times back in Middleton, _especially_ when he was having fun! Fighting him would've been suicide, no matter how much he would promise to go easy on her. It was ridiculous! They both had the same body type yet Maya looked ripped in comparison!

"Are you coming, Bon-Bon?" Maya teased, entering the ring, much to her frustration.

'Great, he's telling people her nickname, now?' Reluctantly, Bonnie stepped into the ring as a crowd of guys gathered. Included were Zach, who would more or less serve as her wingman and Jackson, the last person she wanted to watch her. Staring at Maya stretching, Bonnie gave a backwards glance "Any ideas?"

"Yeah…" Zach said simply, "Dodge."

"You're a lot of help…" Bonnie rolled her eyes, "I mean do you have any tips on fighting her?"

"Like I said, dodge! She's a hard hitter, even if you block. The less hits she lands on you, the better."

"Lovely…" Sighing, Bonnie decided to do a few stretches of he own, if only to limber herself up so she wouldn't have to worry about pulling anything.

"Aw man, we got a real catfight here!"

"Two hotties scraping in the ring? Oh _hell_ yeah!"

'And now comes the cat calls…' Bonnie saw that Maya was unaffected by the cat calling. It was almost scary. Was she thinking about how many ways she could dissect her? Or was she thinking about toying with her? At any case, this would be a good time for her to feign sickness. "…You'll step in if things get too dangerous, right? …_Right_?"

"Don't worry, I got your back," Zach assured. "Trust me." In truth, this would serve as a great opportunity. One, this would test her perseverance. To see how long she could last in a fight. And given that, despite her size, Maya was one of the hardest strikers he know, this would be a great test for Bonnie. And second, would be to test her powers, more specifically her control of them. He knew that this was a big risk, but in the past her powers were triggered base on emotions and stress. If none of her powers made an appearance, then it would be a step in the right direction. Case in point: This fight held a great importance.

As both fighters were ready with their head gear secure and mouth pieces set in, the bell rang as the two slowly moved towards each other. While Maya was in a fighting pose, Bonnie slowly raised her hands up, wondering how the hell she was going to get through this.

'Okay… I can do this… I can get throu-' A flailing kick moved right towards her face as Bonnie narrowly dodged before feeling a sharp stinging on the side of her leg. Within each second, more and more kicks came her way as she only managed to dodge every other one of them as the rest either landed on the side of her thigh or torso. She knew that she would have to strike back sometime. She couldn't let Maya dominate her. Not in front of Zach and especially not in front of Jackson.

"Come on!" Maya threw a dodged punch, "Aren't you gonna fight back?"

"I'll fight… When I'm… Good… And ready!" She said swerving from the strikes headed towards her. However, her luck would run out as a hard roundhouse kick would soon knock her back into the corner…

"She's a real spitfire, isn't she?" Zach said as Bonnie slumped in the corner.

"So not helping!"

"Okay, if you want motivation to get back in there then take this. You see Maya there?"

"Duh?"

Zach closed his eyes, "Pretend she's either Connie or Lonnie."

Hearing those names, Bonnie zoned in on her opponent. Instead of the toned blonde in front of her was the tanned, blonde haired young adult who had tormented her for as long as she had known her. She could hear her laughing at her, taunting her at how she was a loser, how she wasn't a true Rockwaller and that there were no Rockwallers who were losers. And then before she ran away…

'Looks like she's still good to go…' After a quick breather, Maya watched as Bonnie walked towards the center, ready to continue. But there was something different about her. Somehow, this wasn't the same girl she was just fighting. Maybe it was in the eyes... "So, you're ready for more are y-"

Seeing her knocked back by the punch, Bonnie took this as an opportunity to move in as she continued to throw punches towards her opponent. Some dodged and some landed, the only thing that was on Bonnie's mind was to take her down. She was not a loser! She refused to lose her. Not in front of Zach, not in front of anyone! And sure as hell not in front of this blonde, tanned, arrogant, stuck up BITCH!

"Wow…" Among the cheers of the audience, Zach watched as Bonnie tried her hardest to take down Maya. But not in a skilled sense, mind you. Maya, meanwhile was just blocking and dodging. It was clear that she still had the advantage. As powerful rage could be as a weapon, but in the end it would fail in comparison to the power of experience. Continuing to watch, Bonnie seemed to have sense landed a few good blows on Maya, and yet none of her Mu-Type abilities showed. Not even a grain of sand. He wondered if she even knew _how_ to use her powers.

Still, given the increasing ferocity of her strikes, Zach became concerned. Wondering if advising her to imagine Maya as one of her sisters was a good idea after all! He didn't know the full story between them, but if that night at Kim's house was any indication, he's worried that she may actually try to kill Maya!

The fight continued on as Maya finally decided to strike back. Leaving the two to be at a stalemate. It was now a battle of rage versus experience. Bonnie may have shown great heart and determination, but the veteran Maya was the clear favorite. That point was clearly proven at the moment where the ball of the bottom of Maya's foot roughly connected to the bottom of Bonnie's jaw…

…

"_Come on, you can't do it…"_

"…"

"_Just a little bit harder…"_

"…"

"_See, I knew you could do it! Was that so hard?"_

"_Yeah! Especially with you in my ear!"_

"_Hey, you kept it up, did you? And now you know you can pull off a spinning jump kick."_

"_Really? …I mean of course I can, you idiot! As if I wouldn't be able to do something as simple as that kick!"_

"_Exactly! If you put your mind to it, who knows what you can accomplish!"_

"_I think you're the last person who should be lecturing anyone about putting their mind to anything! We may not go to the same school – thank god – but even a fool can see that you're a slob."_

"_So I like to relax, sue me! At least I deliver when it counts."_

"_Barely!"_

"_Like you really know me!"_

"_I know enough! And frankly, I can't see why anyone would want to associate with you, much less date you!"_

"_But I'm such a sweet guy once you get to know me."_

"_Oh what-ever… Can we get back to it, already?"_

"_Aww… But I thought we were bonding!"_

"_Look, I just want to get good at this! There's this one person I have to beat. One person I really need to knock down a few notches!"_

"_Oooh, a rival, eh? Sounds intriguing…"_

"_None of your business!"_

"_Fine, fine… Keep your secrets! Well, let's get back to it…"_

"_Finally!"_

…

"How much longer do you think she'll be out?"

"Hopefully not too long! …I didn't overdo it, did I?"

"You nearly knocked her head off with that kick."

"Yeah… Kinda got carried away there… She's not exactly used to this…"

Eyes slowly opened as the smell of rubber and sweat entered through her nostrils. The first thing Bonnie saw were the lights.

"You doing okay?" Zach asked, noticing her revival.

"Other than my jaw hurting, I'm fine…" She snarked, sitting upright. The first thing she noticed was that all of her pads were gone. "Where are-"

"We took them off for ya." Maya explained, "We wanted to make sure you were as comfortable as possible."

Rubbing her tendered jaw, Bonnie saw that the two had changed back into their regular clothes. Now she wondered, "Just how long I've been out for?"

"About 20 minutes. Though, I have to say you did pretty well!" Zach stated.

Maya nodded, "Not bad, Rookie!"

Bonnie scoffed, "Don't get used to it. I'm just learning how to fight. I'm not looking to become a fight fanatic like you two."

"What a pity… Such a waste…"

"Yeah, I like to keep my health thank you." Bonnie could see Zach rolling his eyes.

"Hey Maya, I'll catch up with you in a bit. I need to chat with Bonnie alone."

"Sure, no prob!" She nodded, "I was just about to head out, anyway! Need to go home for a quick shower! Jeff's taking me out to somewhere fancy!"

"Well, well, good for you!" He snickered as he watched the blonde leave before turning back to Bonnie…

"So… She's taken?"

"Umm…Yeah. A girl as hot as her _not_ having a boyfriend? That's just next to impossible!"

"Unless they actually want to live…"

"Hey now, there's nothing wrong with liking a girl who knows how to kick some ass. Moving on, you've did well today, Bonnie."

"Yeah… If you call getting knocked out well!"

"I'm serious! To be honest, I didn't think you would last this long. Best of all, you didn't use your abilities, even inadvertently! Though, your combat skills need some work…"

"Nice to see you have faith in me. Really…"

"Hey, I don't really know of your fighting history, so it was best to have low expectations. Better safe than sorry, B! Anyway, are you able to get home?"

"I'll be fine…" Bonnie rubbed her jaw, "But seriously, how did I do? And don't say 'Fine' or some half-assed critique. Tell me how well did I do? What do I need to work on?"

"Well for starts, you at least know how to throw a punch, but how you make your fists on the other hand, could be dangerous. I mean look at me." Zach raised his hand before balling it into a fist. "See that? Thumb bent and placed under the knuckles. And there's how you do it."

"What's wrong with how I make a fist?" Bonnie asked, offended.

"Yeah, you bend your thumb, but it's placed on the side where you risk at least jamming your thumb or worse."

Nodding, "I'll keep that in mind."

"And as for your kicks. They're good, but could use some fine-tuning. That shouldn't be a problem for you. And another thing…"

Bonnie tuned out whatever Zach was saying as there were other, more important things on her mind. Like that dream she had for instance. It was strange. It took place at the gym and Zach was there. Of course she was there, but yet she…wasn't. She didn't remember any of this ever happening, and yet it felt so familiar. Seriously…

What was going on?

* * *

Next Chapter: The Training Continues as Bonnie begins to understand her newfound abilities. Among other things…

**Chapter 7:** The Training Continues! Earth as Her Palette!


	7. The Training Continues!

**Chapter 7:** The Training Continues! Earth as Her Palette!

With a jump over the metal bench, Zach landed with a forward roll before returning to a sprint. Heading towards a stone building, Zach jump kicked a wall before landing a corkscrew flip. Reaching a group of buildings, he saw that there was an adequate amount of space in between as he started to execute a difficult feat…

Wall kick by wall kick, he made his ascension. Already he could feel the fatigue in his legs, but he refused to give in. It's been months since he had done this and he had to make up for lost time. After a few more jumps, he found himself upon the rooftop of the building.

'Now for the home stretch.' Carefully making his run across the roofs, Zach took a glance at the endpoint of this run. At every end of each building to the point, he had to precise his jumps. One bad step or leap could lead to a rough fall down below, or worse. Sweat dropping down from his head to his neck and brow, he knew he had to get this done quickly before any of it got into his eyes. From first-hand experience, aside from the stinging sensation, vision was key as well as agility and ability in this type of exercise as it was one thing not to make the jump. But to not even see the jump (or any hazard for that matter) was just as if not even more dangerous. After all, when would you know when to stop or jump if you can't even see where you were going?

'There it is…' Jumping over another gap, he noticed his decline in altitude on the rooftops. All he had to do now was slide down and he'd be at the finish line! Utilizing all the strength that he had left, Zach made a huge leap towards a lamp post as he wrapped himself around the metal pole before sliding down back to the pavement…

"Whew…" He sighed in amazement, fighting the urge to collapse on the pavement, but the walking citizens of the city helped with that, instead settling on bending over and rubbing his ankles. How long did it take to finish this run? Five? Ten minutes? An ice cold sports drink sounded good right about now…

"Could you… Picked… A harder… Course…" A panting Cassidy slid down the pole of the streetlight. Like Zach she was heavily fatigued with sweat dripping down her face and neck. Her t-shirt was drenched as the only thing that remained intact was her high ponytail.

"Well…" He sighed, "I was planning to have two wall jumps… But that would've been overkill… I'm out of practice as it is…"

"Well… Some of us have been trying to improve our game since you've been gone."

"Really? I could've sworn I saw you nailed a few flips and tricks on the roof!"

"Like I said, I've been practicing!" She grinned, "Wanna check out that playground at the park a few miles back?"

"Hmm… Does sound tempting… But aren't we forgetting something?"

She scoffed, "What on Earth could we possibly-" Her eyes blinked in realization, "Oh right…"

"Wait…" At the sound of heavy breathing, both teens turned to see a very exhausted Bonnie trying her best to walk over without collapsing to the ground. Like the both of them, her body was drenched in sweat as her hair covered her face.

Cassidy shook her head, "Didn't make it to the rooftops, did ya?"

The brunette tried to muster a glare towards the auburn-haired girl, "…Fuck… you… ugh!"

Zach managed to catch the collapsing girl, "Easy, Bonnie… You did well. Better than I thought, actually."

Cassidy wasn't as nice, "I'd figure with you being a cheerleader you'd at least managed to have some agility. Obviously I was mistaken. Even a 12 year old could've done a few flips."

Bonnie felt a bit of her strength returning as she pushed herself off of Zach, "So you're saying that a 12 year old could wall jump all the way upward?"

"A better chance of that happening compared to you."

"Okay!" Zach stepped in between the quarreling girls. "So Bonnie failed to make the jump to the top. She'll get better at this! It's gonna take time for her to get used it, that's all."

"Assuming she doesn't break a nail first."

"Cas!"

"It's okay Zach…" Bonnie stated, "I mean, clearly she should know, given that she's such an awesome cheerleader herse-" She feigned shock, "Oh right, I forgot! She was never a cheerleader! Though, it is odd how if cheerleading is so similar to parkour, she wasn't cut out to be-"

"Alright, alright…" Zach managed to stop his shorter friend from jumping the brunette. "Bonnie, go grab yourself a drink from the 7-11."

"Fine…" Bonnie glared at her would-be attacker before walking off, leaving the latter to fume…

"Just for the record, I really don't like her." She crossed her arms, "Already I'm sensing a strong case of Déjà vu. …Did you really have to tell her that?"

Zach raised a brow, "Tell her? I didn't even mention you wanting to try out. If anything I thought you've might've told her to make conversation."

"Why the hell would I do that? And if you didn't tell her, then who did?"

"Honestly, I'm more concerned at how she figured out who you were." Zach stated, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, that does seem to be suspicious. Very suspicious… And I doubt it has nothing to do with her blank outs yesterday."

"Tell me about it. I tried to ask her about them, but she refused to talk about it."

"Considering that one of her blank outs caused her to nearly crash while she was driving, this is a red flag." She shook her head, "I wonder if she'll be more of a liability than an asset…"

"You're the ones who wanted her to join in the first place."

"Just because I don't like her doesn't mean she wouldn't be a great asset. Like I said before, it's better than the alternative of her joining up with Xanthos."

"After what he did to her, I doubt she'd be willing to even associate with the man." A realization came to mind, "Nemesis, on the other hand…"

"What about her? I know that she's her sister, but come on! She can't be _that_ stupid."

"Think about it. The girl originally came from a family where neither of her sisters loved her, and resented her because she was adopted. Never mind she didn't know that she was adopted herself. Then comes another family and she finds out that she has not just a sister but a twin sister. And already she's proven to be just as bad, if not worse than her other sisters. I mean imagine that: Having sisters in both families and neither one of them want anything to do with ya. Pretty sad story, once you think about it."

Cassidy nodded, "Yeah… But that still doesn't excuse any form of stupidity, especially if she reaches out to her, sister or not. Battered spouses go back to their abusers all the time while saying that they're their husband or wife, they should work it out. 'It'll get better!' Does blind faith make everyone stupid?"

"At any case, we'll have to keep a handle on her." He sighed, "I don't want Bonnie to make the same mistakes I did…"

"Do you still think about her? Be honest, Zach. Even a little?"

Zach closed his eyes, "…A little. I mean of course we're way past the point of hoping for any reconciliation. But sometimes I think about what if things turned out differently. If she didn't…"

"What's done is done…" She stated. In all honesty, she didn't think that their relationship had any chance of lasting in the first place, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't rooting against them. Nevertheless…

"What are you guys talking about?"

Both teens blinked as they turned back to find Bonnie holding a small Gatorade bottle filled with orange-flavored liquid. From the relaxed expression on her face, she has at least calmed down a bit.

Zach spoke, "We were just going over your performance today."

'You fail at lying, you know that?' Bonnie raised a brow, "And how did I do?"

"Overall, you did well for a newcomer at this. But you'll improve as your strength and stamina increases."

She sighed, "Not that I'm bagging on what you and _her_ do for fun, but is there any real point in doing this?"

Zach raised a hand to stop Cassidy's response, "For one like I said, it'll build stamina, which could come in handy in frantic situations. Another is that it'll increase your agility. You're going to be doing a lot of dodging once you get out on the field."

"Dodging? Are you saying that I'm gonna get hit?"

"A lot." Cassidy stepped in, "You're gonna have to be able to take punishment as well as you can dish out. Or at least be able to dodge it. Otherwise, you're in the wroooooooong line of work. I understand if you're not up for-"

"Like hell I'm not…" She scoffed. There was no way in hell she was going to quit. Not after what she went through yesterday. She got beaten up and knocked out, and after she had woken up and changed back she vomited a bit. No way was she giving up now, especially not in front of _her_. "Still, is all of this really necessary?"

"To keep in shape? Yeah!" Zach saw that Bonnie didn't share his optimism, "You'll get used to it. You've already did better than most people, thanks to your cheerleading experience."

Bonnie let out a sigh. This exercise wasn't a complete wash, she figured. But she wondered if she could actually handle this. This Par-ker-whatever it was called. She knew cheerleading required a lot of agility and constitution, but back then the most amount of danger she was in was doing simple, yet high-risk routines such as the pyramid. But this? This was at a higher risk of hurting herself or even worse! But she'll get better. She just had to! She wasn't going to be overshadowed, not by Zach, not by Maya, and especially not by Cassidy!

**Newport Suburban Area**

A silver Porsche pulling over to the side of the road, a door opened as a boot-clad leg stepped out from the passenger side. As the door closing, its owner turned towards the drive, "Thanks for the lift, Chels!"

"No problem Marie! Just promise to tell me all about how it went down with you and Jason! Kay?"

"No problem! Just can't wait for all the girls at Perry to realize that it's me who has Jason Kelly's arm around her!"

She smirked, "I'm feeling jealous already!"

'That's the point…' She thought as she saw the car drive away. Turning towards her destination, she saw a fairly-large two story blue house in front of her as near the garage was a red Dodge. Straightened her skirt, Marie brushed back a stray stand of her shoulder-length chestnut hair as she walked towards the white door. Ringing the doorbell, she took a deep breath. "This is it girl, just seal the deal and you'll be the talk of the school!" Within a few moments the door opened, revealing a tall man with dark, sweptback hair. Still dressed in the school uniform of slacks and blazer over a white shirt, he gave a smile towards the arriving girl…

"Marie! So glad you could make it!"

She slightly blushed at his warm smile, "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Jason."

He takes the time to look at his guest from the ground up. Knee-high black boots with platform soles, blue miniskirt with a flower pattern on the hem, and an open grey t-shirt over a white tube top. Marie Morse was one of the hottest, if a bit overlooked, girls at Perry Prep. Not to mention coming from a good, wealthy family. In other words, she was _perfect_. "Please, step right this way…"

As the girl stepped inside the house, the door closed as a locking sound was heard. Standing outside, a cloaked figured watched as a smile formed on its hidden face. Everything was going according to plan.

**Location: Undisclosed**

The small smell of rust entering her nose, Bonnie glanced around her surroundings. Despite a few bits of old, obsolete, and abandoned machinery, it was mostly all rock. The terrain sure felt like it was at least. "Any reason why we're out here?"

"Why Bonnie, I'm surprised!" Zach feigned disappointment, "I thought you of all people would be excited, considering what we're going to be working on…"

"What on earth could we be possibly working on out here, besides being eco geeks? If it's to do any more of that Parkour stuff then-" She blinked in realization of the significance of being out here. It was deserted, far away from the city, and had a lot of space! "You mean we're really…"

He nodded, "Now we're going to move onto something that may or may not be the most dangerous aspect of your training: Your powers. Now Bonnie, I understand that you have abilities based on sand, am I right?"

"Yeah…" Bonnie looked down at her hands. Usually most, if any demonstration of her powers came from there. "All I've been able to do is shoot out sand. That's when I'm not imagining my whole body turning into it."

"I see…" A smirk grew on his face, "Alright B, let's see what you can do! Don't hold anything back!"

Closing her eyes Bonnie took in a deep breath. She had since changed into drier clothing, settling for a pair of loose pants and a t-shirt. Luckily this was one of the warmer days in Newport at this time of year so she wouldn't have to worry about freezing her ass off. Spreading her legs out, she dropped into a stance as both hands balled into fists.

'Let's do this…' Her arms shaking, Bonnie began to put as much focus as possible into her body to activate her powers. Grain by grain, sand began to slowly surround her hands until they were covered completely. 'Okay, this looks good…' During the gathering, she could've sworn she felt a slight sink in the ground.

"Hmm…" Dropping into a defensive stance, Zach took note to observe each of Bonnie's actions. He knew that the situation may call for him to dodge at any moment and he knew he could most likely handle what she could throw at him, but could _she_ handle her own powers? He has seen plenty of times where a Mu-Type's powers would turn against them and consequently cause trouble and danger for those around them. Let's see how well Bonnie could handle hers. Out of all of the tests, this one would be the most important.

Within moments, Zach quickly flipped to the side as he saw a hard stream of sand blasted toward his previous position. "Wow…" The stream itself didn't seem to be too large for someone of her size, but it wasn't exactly small either. As the stream hit against the abandoned car, its interior began to fill in a rapidly gradual rate due to the open window. He glanced back at Bonnie who barely showed signs of fatigue. 'Man after all that and she's _still_ going with this?' He didn't have long to think, as he felt himself tripping over, leaving his head to hit the dirt below…

"The hell?" Turning back, he saw what appeared to be a wave in the ground causing the mechanical debris to be "knocked" up an inch before dropping back down. He turned back as he saw the girl, who had since "ran out" of sand to fire as a shallow hole was formed around her. 'Did she do this?'

Sighing, Bonnie felt like collapsing before she saw her surroundings. 'What the-' She found herself a few feet deep within a hole as she noticed a change within the terrain in front of her. At least everything, from the abandoned machinery to the plants seemed to be off by at least an inch. 'Did I do this?' Climbing out from the "hole," Bonnie glanced at Zach, who was brushing himself out, "Zach, what the hell did I just do?"

"Aside from filling up a car with sand and messing with the terrain itself, not much really." Zach had to admit, while he knew about her sand powers, _this_ was not what he expected. "Not only do you have the power of sand, but also earth as well."

"Wait, so not only do I have to worry about my body becoming sand, but rock as well?" Bonnie wasn't sure she liked this. As if she hadn't had enough problems already…

"Relax for a minute. It seems that while you can generate and turn yourself into sand, you can only control and manipulate the earth below you." Looking down, Zach found a large rock below. Grabbing it… "Still, we're gonna need to test them to the fullest of your abilities."

"And how do you suggest we do s-HEY!" Within an inch away from her face, Bonnie managed to catch the thrown rock. But not with her hands, but telekinetically as it continue to hover in the air. "What's your problem?"

"Yep, Terrakinesis…" Zach noted, "See that rock you're holding?"

"How can I not, you almost smashed my face with it you jerk!"

"Keep at it for a while! Play with it, move it around for a bit. Once you get used to moving rocks around, we can get to the even bigger ones!" He grinned, "How does that sound?"

"I think you're nuts." Bonnie frowned, managing to maintain the rock's levitation as it slowly began to float around. As tempted as she was to throw it back at him, she was sure Zach would just dodge it. Or was he even expecting her to retaliate in that manner?

"Try skywriting! Or do you want more rocks to juggle with?"

"I'm barely able to juggle this one!" She shouted as she watched the fool take a seat upon one of the abandoned cars. The thought of throwing this rock at him was _very_ tempting…

…

50 minutes have passed as Bonnie managed to levitate not one, not two, but three fair-sized rocks. While they could've been bigger, at least they were larger than the one rock she was holding before. In what could be a major showing of mastery of her powers, she juggled them around in a particular pattern. While the process itself may be tiring, at least she was making serious progress.

Her eyes focusing on one descending rock moving below another before ascending upward over one more, Bonnie got an idea on how complex her Terrakinesis was. It wasn't simply moving a simple rock, but understanding and manipulating its properties. Weight, size, material… Everything had to be taken in account! It was like lifting weights, but with her mind! Small things such as rocks and pebbles took little to no effort, but things such as boulders and creating fissures took great control and concentration. While she was capable of making small sinks in the ground, in her current progress she had a long way to go before she would be able to pick a boulder up more than a few feet.

Nodding, Zach watched as Bonnie experimented with her newfound abilities. "Good… You're getting used to your abilities. But remember: While it's one thing to know your limitations, it is another to surpass them."

"What do you mean by limitat-WHOA!" Her momentary lapse in concentration nearly caused her to be hit by the stones she was juggling before regaining control at the last minute! "Don't distract me like that! You know how dangerous this is!"

"You're gonna have to learn how to keep it up despite distractions. What if we were in a real battle and there were about a million things happening at once? It would be up to you to maintain your control in spite of that. Otherwise, you might as well not use it."

"Well what about you?" Bonnie asked, her focus remaining on the three moving stones. "Have you ever had to work hard on perfecting your powers?"

Zach closed his eyes, "Actually, yeah. It's especially hard for Bi and Tri-Elemental Mu-Types as they have more to master. However, you should place equal dedication to all of your abilities instead of focusing on just one. Think about it like a castle that is surrounded by defenses on each side. The main entrance is north, so it is natural that you want to focus on strengthening defenses within the north. But when an invasion comes, they decide to attack on all sides. Of course the north is defended easily, but what about the south, east, and west? Because you put so much emphasis on the north, the other sides are so undermanned and unfortified that they're easily overcome. Instead of having four tools that are equally strong, you have only one strong tool and three weaker ones. Made even worse when you're forced to use one of those three…" He sighed, "As you might've noticed, ice is my strongest element. While I'm also good with electricity, fire is the one where I'm least proficient at. While it is true that the fact that I didn't even discover my abilities with electricity until later and even longer with fire, the fact is that I could've put more effort in improving both of my proficiencies to be just as good as with ice. The fact that I can't use all of them at once makes it another handicap…"

Leaping off from his seated state from the car, "So Bonnie, scale of one-to-ten, how well do you think you are with your abilities."

She scoffed, "While I know I'm not quite there yet, but I know I'm a decent nine!" She stated confidently.

He smirked, "Really?"

"Duh!" If Bonnie didn't think she was that good, she wouldn't have said so. Moron…

"Okay…" Zach thought as a smile formed on his face. If she was really as good as she said she was then this should be no problem… "If you're such a nine as you say…"

"You're making it sound as if I'm overestimating mys-HEY!" A stone barely managing to block a thin spike of ice, Bonnie glared towards its thrower, "What the hell?"

"You say that you're good enough?" Ice generating from his hand, he threw another spike towards her. Once again, Bonnie managed to block it with one of her levitating objects. "Prove it!"

Groaning, Bonnie made used of the stones as within each attempt she managed to block them all. While there were some "trick shots" attempted, she still managed to shield them away from hitting her. "Really Asters, that's the best you can do?"

"I wouldn't be so confident…" He singsonged, as within that moment, he threw two spikes from each hand to a designated target.

" Confident? About-WHOA!" As if her legs were swept from under her from behind, she fell down on her back! She was just a hairline away from a stone smashing into her nose. Managing to levitate them away, she looked down to see that the in the loops of her shoelaces were those four spikes. Her eyes narrowing, "You dick!"

"If you really were at a nine, you've would stopped that from happening. You need to be fully aware of what's going on around you, know every trick that can be used to and against your advantage. And don't expect your enemies to play fair, either. In desperate times, especially in desperate times, they'll look for anything to get the edge in a losing situation and are more than willing to use every dirty trick in the book."

Bonnie didn't look too pleased at that response, "So that's how it is?"

"Yep… While some are not like that, it's best to prepare for the worst case scenario."

"…Is that right…" A smirk was barely hidden on her face.

"Well we'll work on your awareness lateARRGH!"

No point of hiding her smirk any longer, Bonnie took the pleasure of seeing her so-called "teacher" falling flat on his face. Well… not entirely flat, but it was on his face as his feet were caught into sudden piles of rocks as the only thing that stopped him from falling over was the small pillar of rock that just smacked him in his face. "Like that scenario?"

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"Just like you nailing me down by my laces!"

"But at least you didn't get your face smacked!" Zach snapped, stuck and imagining a huge bruise forming. "I mean goddamn!"

"Okay, maybe that was a bit too far. Hang on, I'll get you out." Closing her eyes, she raises her hands as she felt the rocks before her move at her whim. However…

"GARGH!"

Eyes widened in shock, Bonnie watched as another pillar hit him _just_ above…another place… "Umm…"

"Are you _trying_ to make me into a Eunuch?

"Ohh…Sorry…" Bonnie shook her head, "Don't worry, I'll get you-"

"NO! I'll deal with this myself!" He was done trusting Bonnie's abilities with her powers. "9" his ass… If this was what she considered a "9" he wouldn't dare to see her at "8." Roughly placing his hands on the pillar sticking into his abdomen, it froze deeply to the point where he could shatter it to shards. The rocks that covered his feet were next…

Bonnie watched him free himself, "Listen Zach, I'm-"

"Save it… You didn't know what you were doing…" He stated, now just wanting the day to end. "I'm done…"

"Wait, that's it? That's all we're doing today?"

"I just got smacked in the face and nearly got my nuts crushed! Do I look like I'm in a mood to continue?"

"I said I was sorry!" She snapped, which Zach waved off. "Zach, wait! How am I supposed to work on my powers! How am I supposed to get home from here?"

Sighing, "C'mon, I suppose I can't leave you out here…"

Managing to dodge that bullet, Bonnie let out a sigh of relief. Still… Today showed that while she was good with levitating rocks and stones, she still had ways to go with her powers. Hopefully, Zach would be there to give her a helping hand. He was the only Elemental Mu-Type she knew.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Holidays have arrived as Bonnie spends her first Christmas as a member of the Hayden family.

**Chapter 8:** First Holiday! The Gathering of Friends!


	8. First Holiday! The Gathering of Friends!

**Chapter 8:** First Holiday! The Gathering of Friends!

Among the gathered crowd in the gym, the sounds of cheering and yelling filled the atmosphere as Bonnie watched on both in amazement and amusement. It's been about a week and she was finally getting used to the whole fighting thing that was so important. Watching the two competitors in the ring, she could sense the intensity that radiated from the two.

It's been five minutes since they started and neither of them showed the slightest sign of slowing down. Bonnie took note at how each of the two combatants functioned. Maya seemed to use her speed to her strengths. Considering that she was at a constant strength and size disadvantage – toned body aside, she pretty much had to constantly be on her feet to even be able to keep up! Still, despite all of that she was still a good striker. She certainly had balls, indeed! She must have them if she were to step in the ring with a maniac like Asters.

Speaking of the devil, he was for the most part taking in the blows with his gloves and shin guards. In all honesty, Bonnie couldn't understand why he wouldn't just attack her now and be done with it? The guy clearly had a size advantage over her! All it took was one perfectly landed hit and she would be out! So why wouldn't he just get it over with, already?

Or did he want to get it over with?

Bonnie couldn't see what the fool was waiting for. Then again, he did mention that fighting was like a game of chess or some philosophical bullshit he pulled out of his ass. Maybe they both believed in that. It would at least explain why he was just fine with trading blows instead of going for the kill. …Now that she thought about it, Maya's strikes could've been harder. Perhaps she was carefully managing her energy, saving up for one big decisive strike. Both were waiting for the other to slip up. And _that_ would be when the victor would be decided!

Three more minutes have passed and after several trades of punches, kicks, and even a few takedowns, both competitors were finally beginning to show signs of fatigue. The cheering crowd could see it now! It shouldn't be long now! One of them was going to fall! But who would it be: Zach or Maya? Dressed in her usual pink tank top, but with purple small shorts, Bonnie examined the rest of her gear. After her first fight with Maya, she decided that she was going to stick with it and vowed to become a better fighter than not just her, but Zach and especially Kim as well. The first thing she did the next morning was log onto the web and bought her own stuff online: A pair of shin guards, gloves, and headgear, both in royal purple. Granted, it took a few days for her stuff to arrive, but at least she wouldn't have to lower herself by using used equipment that was most likely marinated in stale, smelly sweat.

From the sweat pouring down from their face and neck, to their tank tops being drenched, it was heading down to the home stretch. From all the evading and blocked strikes, when it came down to it, it was skill that would decide who won and who lost. That moment proved to be true as, after a dodged kick, a retaliatory one shot hard and forward, roughly connecting to the edge of the headgear that was near the jaw, knocking the recipient down on the floor for the count…

It was over… All that was left now was the obligatory display of sportsmanship as Zach helped Maya to her feet…

"Damn…" Maya shook her head, still feeling a bit dizzy from that kick. "I was wondering when you were going to strike."

"I was wondering when _you_ were! That and if you were ever going to leave me an opening." Zach responded, "You've really gotten better."

"Well I couldn't just fall behind." Months ago when she first moved to Newport, she started to spar with the local guys, despite the original skepticism (Because no girl could e_ver_ fight as well as a guy). After a few legit knock outs and soon… Well, let's just say that she was among the few girls in the city who could beat up a guy – and make them like it. Still, it didn't mean that she was invincible as there were plenty of guys capable of taking her out.

"The important thing is that you're making a name of yourself here. Who knows, you may actually be-" Zach was cut-off by a fierce kick as Maya, quickly moving out of the ring, watched on in amusement…

Amazed and impressed by this show of initiative, the guys watched on as Bonnie begun to attack Zach. She knew that it was her opportunity to show everyone – Zach, Maya, and the rest of the lot – how much she has progressed. That she wasn't the same inexperienced girl who first arrived. Also, with Zach in his current, fatigued condition, this was possibly her only chance to beat him.

Watching her swift movements, Maya showed a sign of impression as she reflected on the brunette's first appearance. When she arrived the first day, it was a shock that she knew her way around the ring. Given until Zach's advice, she was basically a deer in the headlights. After she received his advice, she went crazy. She could've sworn she was possessed, that she really wanted to kill her. Whatever reason it was… Looking at her now… At least Zach actually used his hands this time, as her movements have become too quick to just simply dodge. As if to support her opinion, Bonnie's foot from her kick grazed through Zach's dreads. After a few more traded blocks, the measurement of Bonnie's growth as a fighter soon came to an end as a leg sweep knocked her down on her bottom as she found herself only an inch away from the ball of Zach's heel hitting her in the temple.

"That should be enough," He stated as he offered her a hand.

"Cutting it close, don't you think?" She snarked, imagining a broken nose…

"Hey, what can I say? I take every fight seriously."

'_Every_ fight? Yeah right…' Sighing, Bonnie grabbed her white towel as she proceeded to wipe off the sweat from her face. Some of it managing to sting her eyes, "So, how did I do?"

"Better than the last few days, that's for sure." Zach took a swig of his vitamin water, "But still not quite up to our level."

"But you're getting there," Maya grinned. Perhaps too suspiciously, "We may actually have to start fighting you seriously!"

Bonnie didn't like the way she worded that suggestion, much less how she said it. It was as if she was trying to scare her. But she supposed Maya wasn't too bad. She certainly sure as hell was a lot better than Cassidy. Thank god she never shows up here, otherwise… Let's just say that she would be putting her skills to good use.

"So, what now?"

"I'm so taking a shower." Bonnie walked off, "I need to get ready for the party my folks are hosting."

"Need a hand?" Zach asked, only to be greeted by glares, "Kidding! Jeez Louise… No need for you to be so tense about it!"

"I guess, considering we've already seen each other naked already." She rolled her eyes, not realizing what she had just said. However, it did not go unnoticed…

"…No we haven't."

"What, are you telling me that we didn't meet up at the Marriot and-" Bonnie blinked, now realizing what she's been saying. 'WHAT THE HELL AM I SAYING?'

"Wait, hold on!" Maya wasn't sure what to think of this, "Did something really go down between the two of you?"

"WHAT? NO!" Both responded adamantly in unison. Though regardless, this raised plenty of red flags…

Maya held up her hands, "Whatever it is going on between you guys, I'm staying out of it." She didn't care what relationship Zach and Bonnie had with each other, and for the sake of her own sanity she was better off keeping it that way.

Zach raised a brow, "You okay, Bonnie?"

She blinked, "What? Of course I am! I mean, duh!"

He wasn't buying, "Yeah… I'm gonna go clean up. Gotta do some last-minute Christmas shopping."

She scoffed, "You _would_." As she watched him walk off, she knew he was right. They never saw each other naked. They never even kissed (thank god). Then why did she say that they did? Was it all wishful thinking, or was she losing it?

'What's wrong with me?" Shaking her head, Bonnie decided that a nice hot shower would clear things for her. And with an event as important as it was tonight, she couldn't afford to have any screw ups.

**Suburban Area - Newport**

"I had a great time, Marty!"

He smiled towards the red-haired girl as he placed an arm around her shoulder. "Had? Baby, the night is just beginning!"

"…You mean there's more?" She blinked. Surely, she enjoyed the dinner and a movie. But wasn't this a bit much, let alone for a first date? "A-aren't we going a bit too fast?"

"Don't be silly! The night's still young!" He assured as they walked towards a house. A smile formed on his face as the girl seemed to be distracted. Off into her own little world of the wonderful evening they have had. She had no idea what he had in store for her. As they reached the porch, "But let me warn you, it is a little messy in there."

"Messy?" She scoffed, "_You_? Surely, it can't be that bad!"

"Oh, it's bad alright…" He informed, hiding his grin behind his smile. She was still oblivious to what was going to happen. But she wouldn't have much to worry about. After all, the night was just beginning and this would be one that she would never forget…

**Hayden Manor**

"You got to be kidding me!" Bonnie fumed as she examined the screen of her silver laptop. The screen stated that the account was closed. Since when did she decide to close her email account? It wasn't just that, _all_ of her other social networking accounts were closed as well! Not to mention her cell phone service was terminated. While she could've easily opened new ones, as well as getting a new smart phone, it was the principle of the thing that frustrated her. Someone apparently gained access to her accounts and closed them. Why? Was this Connie and Lonnie's final revenge against her or something? But that would have to be put on the backburner for now, as she had more important things to worry about…

Sliding on a pair of black stockings, Bonnie made sure to smooth out any possible creases. Walking towards her overhead mirror, Bonnie wondered if she should wear her hair up or keep it down. Tonight wasn't just an important night for her parents, but herself as well. So looking her best went without saying. Sighing, she decided to wear it up in a bun as she opened the door to her closet to solve the all-important question of the evening: What was she going to wear? Granted the amount of clothes she had made her previous selection back in Middleton look like a joke, it still made her just as indecisive as ever. She did manage to get herself a new red dress to replace the one her sis-…no, the Rockwaller Sisters had ruined, but this was more conservative and less raunchy.

As the silk, red robe dropped to the cream-colored carpet, Bonnie stepped into the dress as she pulled it up, placing her arms through the openings before executing the near-impossible task of zipping up. Aside from its long length, satin fabric, and slit at the knee, there wasn't much about this dress that was unique. Expensive perhaps, but not much notable compared to her other new outfits.

Her shoes were next. They were a pair of black patent, peep-toed, 4-inch sling back heels. These were among the new pairs of shoes she had gotten a week ago from online (It may be more convenient, but it's no shopping at the mall). She would rather wear her peep toed ankle boots she had just gotten a day ago, but those were for another time. This party was still somewhat formal while those shoes were more suited for partying and clubbing.

Moving back to the mirror, she examined herself into the mirror. Her makeup was applied and not a hair was out of place. As she placed on her long, black velvet gloves, she was half tempted to put on a crown. She was the queen, after all. All silliness aside, while she was excited to meet the rest of her family, she was deeply concerned. Particularly the outbursts she has been having as of late. Guessing Cassidy's alternate identity, remembering a training session with Zach that she never had, and now going to the Marriot with him doing… Just thinking about it made her shudder. He may not exactly be unattractive, but really, her and _Asters_? It was a miracle they were able to become friends. No way in hell would she be able to live down _that_ farce. 'Besides, he wouldn't think of me that way. Especially not compared to _her_…'

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of knuckles tapping the door, "It's open."

"Miss Fidelia, everyone is awaiting your arrival." Bennett informed as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Thank you, I'll be right there," She responded as she placed on a necklace. It was mostly gold and medium-sized with a pendant shaped like a teardrop that was draped onto her upper chest, most notably the sapphire decorated in the center. Sighing… "Well Bonnie, time to amaze people!" With one last glance of her room, Bonnie turned off the lights as she headed downstairs. Looking to greet all who had come by, especially to see her…

…

As she descended down the stairs, Bonnie watched as there awaited a large group of people. Some were young, while others were middle-aged at the least. As the heels of her shoes clicked among the steps, Bonnie could hear the whispers among the crowd…

"Wow, that's Fidelia?"

"I didn't expect her to look so much like Raquelle!"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Bonnie decided to play nice as she walked around and interacted with the guests. Cousins, aunts, uncles, she quickly learned that she had a very large extended family. For example, within the first five minutes she had learned that she had around nine cousins from her mother's side alone: five boys, four girls. Two each of them were older than her, two younger, and the ninth cousin was already reaching 30. Most of them had brown hair while the rest had a darker blonde color.

The amount of cousins on her father's side was much smaller: Only three of them, and all boys. Odd, considering that he had six siblings. Then again, considering that some of them spent their wealth on parties and women, it should've been not so surprising. For the boys themselves, they were nice, each with interesting stories as well as hobbies. For example, the eldest cousin, Mark, was interested in studying animals around the world. "If there's any animal living in Antarctica, I'll go there!" She tried to move discussion towards her own hobbies such as cheerleading and dancing, but only the youngest, Alan, seemed to have at least a hint of interest. As nice as they were, all they could focus on were themselves.

Sighing, Bonnie was seated on the stool at a bar as she held a small glass of Sprite Zero in her hand. "How much longer will this go on?" As nice as it was for her to meet and get to know her family members, this was all so dull. As a shoe dangled on her toes, she wanted to hop into her car and just go somewhere. _Anywhere_… Just as long it was far away from here.

"Fid…Bonnie!"

Turning towards the source of the voice, Bonnie saw who appeared to a young woman older than her. Around Connie's age most likely. "Oh, hi Jayden," She let out a small smile towards her. Though, from the shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes, she looked nothing like her foster sister. Hopefully she's wasn't actually _like_ her, either.

"Pretty boring, huh?" The younger girl's bored expression said it all, "I feel ya. The only reason why I decided to come to this gathering was to meet you. Otherwise, I would've stayed home."

"Believe me, I'm on the same boat as you are about that."

"Then again, this is Christmas Eve and it should be spent with the family. …Come to think of it, this is your first Christmas with your parents, isn't it?"

Bonnie sighed, "It's been about a week and I still can't believe it."

"So, Middleton… What was it like?"

"Not exactly the best place to live, but it wasn't horrible. I had a boyfriend, but it didn't work out. But at least I still have my friends."

"Do you keep in contact with them?"

"I finally managed to have some free time to send an email to my friends, but somehow all of my social networking accounts have been closed. Not to mention for my cell phone service has been terminated. It's like they're trying to erase me. To make it as if I never existed."

"Wow… Who'd do something like that?"

"My adoptive sisters…" She spat, "They've always managed to make my life hell. A stunt like this, I wouldn't put past them."

"Let me guess: Inheritance, right?"

"Provided that they never gave me any real explanation for their resentment towards me until recently – and that was before I found out I was adopted – I'd say that a pretty good guess. Thankfully I never have to put up with them anymore."

"What about your foster parents?"

She scoffed, "Please, they never really cared about me. I was just a replacement for their dead daughter."

"Aren't you going a bit overboard, Bonnie?" She asked. At least she's learning to call her Bonnie rather than Fidelia, "I know that things-"

"Let me stop you right there. You have a family that was always your own, a family who always loved you and cared about you. Me? For 17 years I had to live in a family containing sisters who hated me without telling me a legitimate let alone justifiable reason why, a father who cared more about his reputation and social standing, and a mother who would smothered me all for me being a replacement of their dead daughter."

"But even if that's so, you need to remember: Despite all the horrible things that may have happened, remember that they're still the ones who raised you and took care of you. So you shouldn't just write them off."

Bonnie sighed as her head slightly lowered. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Jayden had a point. While they might have not been as ideal as Richard and Deborah, Luther and Lori were there for her, more in the latter's case than the former's.

Shaking her head, "I need to get out of here…"

Jayden blinked at this sudden course of action, "Bonnie, where are you going?"

"Don't know…" She said as she headed towards the stair, "Tell my parents I went out."

"Bonnie, wait! What about-"

"I just need to clear my head!" Heading upstairs, the first thing she planned on doing is to change out of this dress (Nothing wrong with it, but she shouldn't be dressed to fancy for a simple drive). Where she was going? Who knows? At this point driving to the school would be welcomed if it would get her out of this house.

**The Shoppe**

"Wow… It's… It's so… I don't believe what I'm seeing!"

"Yeah, Brad! I mean I heard the rumors, but I never thought…" Cassidy shook her head, "This can't be real!"

Brad simply crossed his arms, "But it is ladies! Check it out!"

"Wow… Someone's got a big boost of confidence all the sudden."

"What's wrong, Asters? Jealous?"

"Not really, but it can't be healthy!"

"Zach's got a point. It does look like a heart attack waiting to happen!"

Brad blinks, "…You think so?" He looked down to the object of discussion. It was large, very large. But it was certain that it does have the expected cream filling. "Well, who's up for a slice?"

Cassidy was hesitant as she watched the shorter boy cut a slice before placing it on a plate. The crust was made out of chocolate chip cookies while the melted caramel served as the "sauce." Chocolates, mint, and vanilla were mixed together to serve as the "cheese" with various candies such as M&Ms, Twix, and KitKats served as the "toppings." not to mention the frosting and whipped cream. "Uhh…I'll think I'll pass. I'm trying to watch my figure."

"Come on! One bite isn't going to make you blow up!" Brad insisted, "Girls look better with curves anyway."

"I'm with Cas." Another girl stated, "This kinda looks like a bit too much."

"Please Sheena. _You_, turn down sweets?"

"But this looks too sweet for even me. _This_ is begging for diabetes."

Brad rolled his eyes, "C'mon Zach, you're willing to try it out."

He shrugged, "Eh, don't wanna spoil my appetite."

"You guys suck, you know that?" Brad took a bite out of the pizza. With a few chews, his eyes widened as a smile soon formed on his face.

"How is it?"

"Good, good…" He said, mouth full, as he took another bite.

"…He's lying." The three of them said in unison. It was obvious that Brad is doing whatever he can to make this pizza work, or at least make it appear to be edible without consequences.

Swallowing, "Am not! My Sweet Cookie Pizza rocks!"

Cassidy sighed, "Look, I know you're desperate to get this pizza to work. But it's okay! You can be real about it."

"Funny…" Brad shook his head in annoyance before spotting an object of interest at the door. "Tell ya what, we let the next person that comes in try the pizza and get their opinion. Don't try to screw this up!"

"Okay…" Cassidy nodded, despite not wanting to subject the poor customer to Brad's concoction. However, as the sound of the chime indicating an entrance, seeing a black high heeled knee boot step into the door caused her expression changed from concern to annoyance. "Great…"

"?" Zach glanced at the object of Cassidy's discomfort as an expression of surprise showed his face, "Hmm…"

"Wow… This place is jumping."

Cassidy's eyes narrowed at the tone of the brunette's sarcasm, "It's called 'closing time.' If you'd work a day in your life you'd know that."

"Cas…" Sheena quickly walked toward the auburn-haired girl, "Let's not upset the customer!"

"Yeah Cas! We wouldn't want that to happen!" Bonnie's smirk raised Cassidy's ire even more.

Sensing violence becoming close to inevitable, Zach stepped in between the girls, "Let's just chill for a moment. We don't want to end up ruining this party, right?"

Cassidy crossed her arms, "Too late for that."

Bonnie scoffed, "Don't blame your misfortunes on me."

Rolling his eyes, "Can I talk to you please?"

Bonnie felt her wrist grabbed as she found herself led to the upper floor, leaving the other two employees to calm down their own.

"Ow, rough much?" Now free, Bonnie rubbed her wrist as she glared towards Zach.

Zach crossed his arms, "Mind telling me why you're already starting a fight?"

"It's not my fault Tech Girl's all moody."

"Well you're not exactly helping things. You do know that she's my best friend, right?"

"I noticed! You're always defending her all the damn time!"

Pinching his nose, "Okay, what's bothering you?"

She blinked, "What? Other than your obvious favoritism, nothing's bothering me!"

"Like hell it's not! You walk in here and you're already picking fights for no reason. So out with it Bonnie, what's eating you?"

She sighed, "You're not going to let this go, aren't you."

"Not a bit."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine… It's just that…"

He heard her mumble a bit, "What was that?"

"I said that I'm homesick, alright?" She looked down, "I just miss being in Middleton."

"I see…." Zach closed his eyes, "You miss the Rockwallers?"

"Hell no! …Well, maybe Lori. But the rest of them can go to hell!" She sat down in a chair, "It's my friends who I'm thinking about."

"Have you emailed them?"

"That's the thing! All of my social networking accounts have been closed! Everything's lost. Emails, phone numbers, all of it, is gone!"

"What about calling them?"

"No one's responding! It's like someone placed a block on my numbers, even the house numbers!"

"I emailed Tara the other day, but she didn't respond." He scratched his chin, "Weird… If you have her number, maybe I could call her."

"True… Except that out of anger I smashed my phone to pieces."

He sighed, "Didn't think that one through, did ya?"

"Well she has your number, right?"

"We traded email addresses. Looks like it's in her hands if we're going to ever find out about this…"

"Merry Christmas to me…" Bonnie looked down. The idea that her friends, even Tara, wouldn't want anything to do to her was depressing. And it couldn't have come at a worse time!

"I'll tell ya what. You're going through a rough time right now so you can hang with us."

"Forget it!" She refused, "I don't need your pity!"

"C'mon, you can't just spend Christmas Eve alone!"

"I'm not! My whole family's here at my house."

"Well if that's the case, then why did you come here, then?"

"I didn't mean to come here. I just went out for a drive and I just got hungry."

"Right, so out of all the possible fast food joints, you just so happened to pick this lowly place?"

Sighing, Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Let just get back to the damn party."

Nodding, "Just _try_ to be nicer, will ya?"

"I'm not making any promises…" She frowned as the two headed back downstairs.

From the look of things, everyone seemed to have calmed back down as the three employees are seated. From the missing portions of the pie, it seemed that Brad had convinced the two girls to give his pizza a try.

"So, how's it taste?" Zach asked the two girls as Cassidy closed her eyes to get a good evaluation of the taste.

"Mmm…Tasty, smooth…" She smiled, "It's good, really good! But still looks a bit unhealthy."

"I love it!" Sheena chirps. "Please tell me you'll make more, Brad!"

An air of pride swelled within him, "You think Marla would put it on the menu?"

"Not sure, but why don't we have our customer give it a try!"

Bonnie blinked, "Me?"

Brad cut off another slice, "Come on… Give it a taste!"

She glanced at the mixture of chocolate and vanilla dripping from the slice. "Uh… I'll try it if Zach does!"

He blinked, "What? Leave me out of th-"

"There you go!" Cassidy grinned as a splatter of chocolate showed on his face from the pizza shoved into his mouth. "So Zach, how's it taste?"

Pulling the crust from his mouth, Zach smacked his lips, "It's good, _real_ good!" He turned towards the brunette, "Bonnie, your turn!"

She looked around, "…I don't have much choice, do I?"

"No, you don't." Cassidy crossed her arms. "Everyone else has tried it, now it's your turn."

"But I don't even work h-" Seeing four glares aimed directly towards her, she sighed, "You're so not gonna let me go until I do so, huh?"

"No sooner!" All replied in unison, much to her dismay…

"Fine…" Grabbing a slice, she took a deep breath, "Bon appetite…" Taking a bite, after a few chews. "…"

"Well?" Brad glanced at her, wanting to see if she liked it.

She raised her hand as if to silence him as she swallows her chewed contents. "I have to say, not bad."

He smiled, "Good! So we're all in agreement that my Sweet Cookie Pizza rocks?"

Bonnie raised a brow, "Don't let it go to your head. I said that it's not bad, I didn't say that it was good."

Cassidy rolled her eyes, "Could you stop being a bitch for one second?"

"Fine it's good, alright?" Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Seriously, all for some weird concoction…"

"Aw man…" Facepalming, Zach sighed as the two girls began to argue. He was hoping that Bonnie and Cassidy would get along. But now it seems that things between them are getting worse. If this was where their relationship would go, would it be even wise at this point for Bonnie to become part of the team at this point?

* * *

Next Chapter: It is the new year as Bonnie's powers are put to the test. But is she indeed good enough?

**Chapter 9:** Terraforce! The Newest Member!


	9. Terraforce! The Newest Member!

**Chapter 9:** Terraforce! The Newest Member!

The New Year has arrived as on the first day, resolutions have been made and are out to be fulfilled. As friends and loved ones spend this last day together before their eventual return to their normal lives, one person in particular prepares for her final test…

Performing a few leg stretches to loosen her body, Bonnie amps herself up while glancing at the person before her. The apparent deadline has arrived as he was in costume, showing the seriousness of this encounter. Three weeks may have been short as far as most training periods go, but due to rising circumstances exceptions were to be made. The time has come to see if she had what it took to join them. To see if she had what it took to become a member of Omega Strike.

"Do I really want to become one of them?" That was the question she's been asking herself, even after she began training on how to utilize her powers. For one thing, she didn't seem to be that popular. Saber outright hated her as did Machpunch, but then again, he seemed to have it in for women in general. Quickstrike was friendly towards her, even if it was just to hit on her. Outside of X, Kittina seemed to be the only one who actually liked her without any ulterior motives. But then again, she seemed to like everyone (Well, except for Shifters, but that was another story). Celeste seemed to be neutral as well as Mindflare, but even she could tell that his patience was limited. More importantly, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like the cheer squad all over again. Just another group for her to be overshadowed in by someone who nobody could ever hope to match, or in this case: A group where she would be the inexperienced rookie in a group of seasoned veterans to whom she could never keep up with.

Sure Bonnie may have been able to make the most of her powers, but the others have been at it for at least over a year and the things they were able to do were extraordinary! Machpunch was strong enough even without his worm thingies, Quickstrike could circle around the globe in mere hours if he wanted to, Mindflare had an extreme amount of mental strength, which was the very basis of his powers. Just what would she have to offer? Terrakinesis and the ability to generate sand!

"You ready for this?"

"Give me a minute…" Bonnie wondered if this was fair. X was dressed in what was basically body armor while she, on the other hand, was dressed in merely a t-shirt and wind pants. Then again, it was a good thing she could heal quickly. Tying her hair back, her eyes narrowing served as indication that she was ready.

"Alright… It's time to see what you can do!"

Bonnie watched as X dropped into a fighting pose. From seeing the blue sparks of electricity emitting from his hands, she realized that he would be using his electric element rather than ice. Earth was strong against electricity, so what's up? Was it to handicap himself against her? She knew that it was just a training exercise and all, but did he see her as a joke? 'Typical… Of course he wouldn't take me seriously…'

Pounding her fists onto the ground, Bonnie felt the earth below her cover her hands as she pulled them back up, revealing a pair of gloves made out of rock. They appeared to resemble a pair of oversized boxing gloves with spikes on them. While they seemed to be heavy, Bonnie was confident that she could use them without problem.

"Show me what you got!"

Punches began to be thrown as X proceeded to dodge each blow, noticing the ferocity in Bonnie's eyes. 'Hmm, not bad…' With each missed punch, fury began to grow more and more within the brunette. X could clearly see her desire to take him down. Butterfly-twisting out of the way of a haymaker, "Your strikes have improved! I'm impressed!"

"Stop flattering me and fight!" She spat as she threw a dodged uppercut. As quick as the punches were, even she could see that the weight of the "gloves" was hindering her speed. 'Okay then, time for something new…'

"You do know that all that weight's slowly you d-WHOA!" Leaning far back while still on his feet, X narrowly dodged the two fists that suddenly flew right towards him as one grazed his cheek. Puncturing a small hole on the side of his mask, causing a dreadlock to go through the newly-made opening… 'That's what I get for wearing the old one…' He spotted Bonnie making a swift gesture upward. 'What's she planning on d-WHOA MAN!' Four small, rock-like hands barely missed his feet as he flew upward. "Bon-Bon's learned some new tricks!"

"Don't call me Bon-Bon!" Thrusting her hands towards him, her arms turned into sand as they extended towards her opponent, who was forced to fly away in an attempt to dodge! This was starting to become fun! Playing conductor, Bonnie watched as the sandy hands honed in on X's position as they followed him through the air. "Hold still!"

Dodging the moving hands made of sand, X noted how well Bonnie was adapting her powers, specifically this strategy. While it was not exactly unheard of for Mu-Types to quickly learn how to use their abilities, the way Bonnie has managed to master this particular technique was shocking. In fact this entire form of attack was familiar. Too familiar for his liking…

"Okay, time to go from defense to offense!" A ball of energy forming within his hand, X watched on as Bonnie's "arms" continued to chase him. Bonnie has done well so far in this test. But she's made one crucial error that would cost her greatly. "DODGE!"

"Dodge wha-AAAAGH!" Feeling volts of electricity flowing through her, Bonnie's eyes widened. How, how could he had hit her with such an attack? Was she so focused with controlling her sand arms that she didn't even notice that ball of electricity? She had to beat this! She couldn't fall to this! Not this attack! Not at this stage! It felt as if every part of her body was being fried. "Must…" Her fists slowly closed, "Not… Give in…" Slowly bringing her arms closer, she let out a loud scream as in nearly an instant, all the electricity that flowed within her instantly vanished!

"Whoa, she discharged it to the ground!" X noted, aside from her slightly-charred shirt and pants –save for her slightly-frizzed hair, Bonnie seemed to be fine. "You want more?"

"You just gave me a bad case of the frizzies!" Bonnie's eyes narrowed, "It's on now!"

"Good! Then you won't mind if I take it up a notch!"

"What does he mean by that?" She wondered as she suddenly saw another ball of electricity headed her way. _Much_ larger than the previous one… "SHIT!" Mustering all the strength she had, she formed a sphere-like barrier of rock and sand around herself as the ball collided upon impact.

"Okay, let's see how much she can take!" In X's mind, not only would this be a test for her, but himself as well. His electric attacks were ineffective against ground elements such as rock and sand as the charge could be discharged the ground. Thus, electricity wasn't the ideal element to use against golems and stone giants. But if he worked hard at it, perhaps he could still do some damage before it could be discharged. Bonnie's barrier would be the test. If he could easily break it, it would show just how long of a way she needed to go before she could truly reach her potential. But if she could deflect it? The fact that a rookie Mu-Type was able to easily overcome his strongest electric attack showed just how ineffective it was against rock.

Breathing heavily, Bonnie closed her eyes in order to prevent strain from trying to see within the darkness. The dome itself had a 5-yard radius from her body as she plotted her next move. …If she _had_ a next move. She couldn't see and she had no idea where X was unless he was talking. She could feel the ground to sense his movements, but he could fly as well. All she could do now was to wait for him to make the next move. Question was, where or more importantly when? She wasn't exactly the most patient person. But luckily for her, neither was X. Sooner or later, he would have to strike. And the moment he placed even a finger on her dome, that was when she would catch him.

"THIS BLAST HAS THE POWER TO FRY EVERY MOLECULE IN YOUR BODY!"

"IS HE FUCKING SERIOUS?" Was the guy trying to kill her? She knew that he was trying to test her limits, but come on! She was still a rookie! "Screw it…" If he was really going to go through with this, she might as well put up a fight! If she died, it'd be on his head anyway. As much as she didn't want to die (obviously), the idea of being able to haunt the fool was very intriguing…

"HERE IT COMES!"

"Oh god, he's actually going through with this!" Bracing herself, Bonnie did her best to fortify her barrier to her fullest capabilities. Already she could already feel the electrical blast, trying to penetrate into her area. But she wouldn't allow it to happen. She refused to give him that satisfaction. She was going to block it and render his 'molecule-frying blast' into a distant memory! As sweat began to run down from her brow, Bonnie braced herself in place as her feet began to sink. She began to sense where exactly the blast was penetrating… Feeling the ground all the way to circle where the rough mixture or rock and sand began to move upward, Bonnie soon found the blast's location. "Got ya…" Placing as much focus as possible on that particular spot, a few minutes gone by as eventually she no longer had any sense of the blast.

Exhausted, Bonnie fell onto her back as the dome-like barrier crumbled back down into the earth. Gradually allowing the sun's rays to shine on top of her…

"You know I could kill you right now if I wanted to, right?"

Gasping, her eyes widened as she felt a sharp tip on her neck. Almost afraid to move, through the corner of her eye Bonnie saw a sharp blade of ice poking right below her jaw line on the side of her neck. "What the hell?"

"You can't afford to leave yourself open like that, especially when you're facing the enemy! It's the quickest way to get killed!"

"I know, I know… But is any of that really necessary?" She frowned, picturing blood pouring out of the hole he just left in her neck.

"It's a pinch in the ass compared to what the enemy would do!"

"But you're… not the enemy."

Sighing, X moved the blade away as within moments it shattered into small, thin shards of ice. "At any case, you need to be alert at all times. You never know how quickly the situation may change."

Seeing a hand extended to her, Bonnie used it to help herself up. "Anyway, how did I do?"

"You did better than I actually expected, considering that we had less than a month. Still, there's plenty of seasoning and polishing that needs to be done. Otherwise, you're looking pretty good."

"Hmph…" She frowned, "Is it enough to impress your friends."

"Well you've managed to block one of my strongest attacks. That has to at least get your foot in the door."

"How about you, do you think I'm good enough?"

Sighing, "It doesn't really matter what I think. I mean I know that you have what it takes. Thing is, you have to convince the others. I mean, for example, fighting at the gym against Maya. About a week ago you were trying to run and dodge just to avoid her, now you can actually hold your own. And you're getting better at Parkour."

"At lot better than Cassidy, that's for sure."

"Bonnie…"

"Sor-ry! I can't help it! The bitch so has it out for me."

"Well you're not exactly helping things either. I'd suggest that you two get together and talk things out, but that'd be a disaster waiting to happen without a mediator. And I don't really want the job."

"Okay Zach…" She sighed, "So, what now?"

"I'm gonna head home for a while to get some rest. With all that's been going on lately I've been slipping in my relaxation time."

Snickering, "You _would_. I, on the other hand, have so much to do!"

"Such as…"

"Making a new costume! Duh! If I'm going to be going out on the streets, I can't just go out as plain 'ole Bonnie, can I?"

"You go on and do that." X stated as he flew off. Leaving Bonnie alone with her thoughts…

Sighing, "Well, might as well get started." Her car was only parked a few miles away from the area. Given that nobody ever came around here, she wouldn't have to worry about it being trashed, let alone scrapped for parts. As she made her way back to her car, she started to decide on what kind of costume she would want. Of course it had to be practical, so she shouldn't be going out their half naked. But at the same time, she had to at least be stylish. She had to remain true to herself. Therefore, she wouldn't just find a pair of tights, underpants, and cape or something lame as that and put it on.

The theme of her outfit was also important. It had to fit her skills and abilities. It had to complement her powers as well. For example, looking like an Eskimo wouldn't exactly be the best fashion choice for someone with fire powers. Form fitting would be ideal. She wasn't going to wear very loose clothing or garments like X's stupid scarf. 'Need to stop and get a sketchbook on the way home…'

What would happen after she put it all together? She would have to pose in front of someone. You know, to get a second opinion. But who? She sure as hell wasn't calling someone like Maya over. She didn't know that she was a Mu-Type, let alone a soon-to-be member of Omega Strike. That went the same towards Kim. But she didn't have any of her contact information, nor did she want to. Speaking of whom, perhaps she could help her out on her crisis back at Middleton. But her website has been down since forever. She could forget about calling Wade, since his number were among those that were lost after she foolishly crushed her cell out of anger. Asters? Get real! While nowhere near as bad a Quickstrike, that would be letting the fox guard the henhouse. He thought that she wasn't noticing when he was staring at certain parts of the cheerleaders' apparel. "Maybe I should've worn _that_ instead of the school uniform…"

Shock crept in her face as she realized what she had just said, "What the hell's wrong with me? _God_…" First the training session, then the… ugh… And now this! This was starting to get freaky. Very, very, _very_ freaky… What, was she having blackouts? Was she sleepwalking? What the hell was going on with her? Was she going crazy?

Shaking her head, "Maybe I should get some rest, too…" By all rights she ought to have her chauffeur come and pick her up, but what would she explain to him, let alone her parents (if they found out) why she was at a place like this? Reaching her car, she immediately stepped inside as she took in a deep breath before starting the ignition. Forget her costume. What she really needed now was to sleep. This was a rough and tiring sparring session after all and it would require her to replenish her energy, both physically and mentally.

**Location: Undisclosed**

"Alright, next card!"

A strong, brown furred hand drew a card from a deck as its owner examined it, much to disappointment, "A face card? Seriously?"

"Heh… Looks like I win this round, 'Lyka!" A smooth voice taunted, smirk forming across his beak, as he gathered his "winnings" from the table.

"No way… That's like the third time already!" She pounded the table hard, causing it to shake due to her strength, "I WANT A REMATCH!"

"Easy, 'Lyka! No need to get cranked up over it. It's only a game!"

"A game where I just lost five hundred bucks! And a dumb one at that!" She fumed towards the anthropomorphic grey wolf. Honestly, any game where luck was the deciding factor was beyond stupid, let alone to gamble on!

"No doubt about that. But seriously, you're about to break the table. No need to remind you how hard it was to go out and get a new one, especially considering our status!" He reminded. The location itself wasn't completely horrible, but it left plenty to be desired. The flickering lights were irritating at best and unbearable at worst, mostly due to the constant lapses of electricity. There was no air conditioning nor there was a heater, causing them to literally rely on their fur to keep warm.

She crossed her arms, "Hmph…"

"She wouldn't be this upset if she was the one who won," The birdman scoffed, "What a hypocrite."

"Claybreak, Metallyka, Typhoon."

At the sound of their names, the three placed their current issues aside as they turned towards the owner of the voice. Like them, the figure seemed to be dressed in a black bodysuit though with a few differences. Unlike Metallyka's and Claybreak's, his bodysuit was full body where Typhoon wore a pair of cammo pants over his tucked in a pair of steel-toed boots. Upon a closer look, his reddish skin turned out in actuality to be scales as his face maintained a reptilian appearance. Most notable was his blue hair styled in a spiked manner with its length exceeding his head.

"Well well, if it's isn't our fearless leader." The birdman crossed his arms, "So what's up? We got another job?"

"Not exactly! Just got back talking with our esteemed benefactor."

"And what did our so-called benefactor have to say?" Metallyka rolled her eyes. For a benefactor, he sure had a hard time taking care of his charges. Otherwise, they wouldn't be stuck in a dump such as this.

"It wasn't much what he said, rather what he gave us."

"Unless it's extra money for us to get a decent place, then I really don't care."

"What did he give us exactly?" Claybreak asked, wondering if this was yet another waste of their talents and resources.

"I'll just introduce you to her." The red lizardman stepped aside, allowing the three to get an examination of the subject of discussion. Upon first glance, she appeared to be petite and covered in white fur. Her black pageboy hairstyle seemed to reach her shoulders. Her pointy ears complemented her face, emphasizing her cat-like features that were shown. Save for the tail that hung and slightly wagged within movement. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be dressed in black cloth rather than the armored bodysuits they all wore. Most notably, she was dressed in a black Gi with fishnets underneath her top, save for her tabi boots.

Typhoon raised a brow, "Let me guess: She's the new Tsunami?"

He turned to the catgirl, "You heard the man, introduce yourself?"

With a bow forward, "Watashi no namae wa tsunamidesu."

"…Okay, what the hell did she just say?" Claybreak scratched his head. He hoped that there wouldn't be a language barrier between them. Forget following orders, he was worried that she wouldn't be able to contribute to the most important obligation to being part of this team.

"Watashi no namae wa tsunamidesu." She said once more, this time with a hint of annoyance.

"What tasha, nene, tunada-What?"

He closed his eyes with a sigh, "She the new Tsunami."

Metallyka frowned, "Then why the hell couldn't she just say that? Why did we all have to go through-" She facepalmed, "Don't tell me she can't understand-"

"She can understand us perfectly fine. She knows English. For some reason though, she only speaks Japanese. God knows why… I dunno… The benefactor is just as confused as we all are."

"Tch, no wonder he gave her to us…" Great, an ally that couldn't speak English yet understand it? Their "great" benefactor, ladies and gentlemen, their "great" benefactor…

Typhoon decided to get a closer examination of the new recruit, "You're not wearing any armor like us…"

"Kore de jūbundesu," She simply responded, much to his confusion.

"Kore de What?" He glanced, "Um…Char?"

He sighed, "She says she doesn't need it." It was fortunate that at least one of them knew Japanese.

"Seriously, what bottom of the barrel did you scrap this girl up from?" Metallyka rolled her eyes. The original Tsunami was straight out of those annoying, diabetic "Magical Girl" genres she read about on the internet. If this girl was really the new Tsunami, then already she preferred the predecessor. As annoying as she was, at least she could _speak_ English instead of just understanding it!

Tsunami took a glance at her new…acquaintances: A black, dreadlocked bearwoman, a grey wolfman, and a green, long-haired birdman. Along with the reddish, spike-haired lizardman, she admitted a small sense of disturbance within her. But given her appearance as a catwoman, she supposed she didn't have much room to talk.

"Besides the fact that she's obviously damaged good, does she have even the slightest hint of usefulness?"

As if a hint to test her, Typhoon held up two, sharp feathers as he glanced at the girl in white. This would be to test her reflexes. "The old Tsunami would've blocked this easily…" Within moments, he threw the two feathers towards her. However, his eyes widened as two halves of each feather fall on opposite sides, each leaving a small trace of water on the cut edges.

"I guess she passes…" Claybreak noted as Tsunami remained in a fighting stance, holding what appeared to be a katana made completely out of water.

"So that's the Mizu blade I heard so much about it." Char grinned, "Really can come in handy against our enemies. Especially Omega Strike!"

Metallyka nodded in agreement, "She might actually be a vital member of our team!" Swift, deadly, and knows to keep her mouth shut? She was starting to like this girl.

Typhoon flipped his black hair, "Well what do you know? Looks like our quartet is back to being a five-man band!"

"And it'll keep getting stronger…" Claybreak simply said. Slicing projectiles in half within an instant was one thing. But the true test would begin once another mission comes up. On paper, they were stronger than they have ever been, even with the original configuration. Soon, all will see just how powerful the Wild Force truly was.

Now if only they would be contacted for a mission…

**Newport – Downtown**

"IT'S AN AMBUSH!" Saber flew upward immediately as what appeared to be a large, mechanical cylinder was thrown towards her way. Upon impact onto the concrete, an explosion emitted it grew a rapid rate that it nearly reached the high heels of her metallic boots.

"Alright, if they wanna fight," Cracking his knuckles, Machpunch's slugs sunk into his body as his arms begin to deconstruct before reforming into a pair of armored, enlarged arms save for the spiked knuckles. "They're gonna get one!"

The attackers in question, a group of anthropomorphic rats, all leaped into a Delta formation. Each was dressed in a grunge-like fashion: leather jackets, black jeans, and buckled boots, most notable their variations of mohawks. Perhaps the biggest concern of all was the weapons they were holding. Like the girls from the break in at Hayden-Tech, the cybernetic weapons they were holding seemed to be beyond their level, let alone their price range for mere thugs.

"You won't get the best of us this time, Omega Strike!" One of them hissed, activating his glove-like gauntlets as bright red lights began to flash on the wrists of the gloves. "With our new toys, we're gonna leave ya a stain on the sidewalk!"

Machpunch scoffed, "Y'think those kid gloves of yers can handle my fists?"

Mindflare watched as the opposition made their movements. Of course the larger, more built one went after Machpunch while the two slimmer ones with rifles gone after Saber. Leaving the other two to Kittina and himself… 'This is becoming more and more suspicious by each incident…'

Climbing up the brick wall of the building, Kittina watched as one of them followed her, climbing up the wall as well, "Who knew rats were such good climbers? WHOA!" Feeling her tail gripped, she was yanked off the wall as she glanced at the attacker holding onto the tail!

"Bye bye, little kitty!" He snarked at the poor Mu-Type plummeting down towards the ground. Those new gloves and boots he got were really coming in handy. Wall-crawling, enhances speed and strength, talk about hitting paydirt! However, his gloating would come to an end as he felt _his_ tail being gripped before being yanked off…

"Cats always land on their feet. Can _you_?" She managed to flip over to maintain control as she use the weight of the fall as momentum to throw her rat adversary downward. As if to prove her point, she execute one more flip before landing onto her feet on the ground while the poor rat landed on its back.

Firing arrows, Saber took caution in avoiding the blasts from the rifles below, "Machpunch, how's things on your end!"

"Fan… Freaking-Tastic…" He responded, hands locked up against the larger rat in a test of strength. From the amount of sweat dropping around his neck and sinking into his tank top, the rat was actually giving him a run for his money. Gritting his teeth, "Would be nice if X and Quickstrike would actually show their faces!"

"Where _are_ they, anyway?" X _barely_ had an excuse, given he was training the Hayden girl. But what could Quickstrike be doing at a time like this? She swore, if he was in a middle of… _something_ with a girl…

"Come out and fight me like a man!" A red-mohawked rat yelled between blows as a fuchsia-colored barrier stood between him and his opponent. Mindflare noted the enhanced amount of strength from the metallic gloves. It was really doing a number on his barrier. From keeping track of everyone while focusing on maintaining the barrier as well watching out for any possible sneak attacks, this battle began to take its toll on him mentally. Just how were they able to obtain such weaponry in the first place? This mental taxation would soon prove to be his downfall as from atop of a building, crosshairs that belonged to a rocket launcher had the long-haired Mu-Type in black locked on.

"Got'cha now…" Grinning, a green-mohawked rat pulled the trigger. His partners' reflexes should help them get enough distance away from the radius of the explosion before hitting its target. However, before the mechanism could be activated, he felt a sudden coldness surround him as he glanced at the barrel, now filled inside with ice that covered a foot on top. "What the hell?"

The red-mohawked rat blinked as he saw his rocker launcher-wielding ally tossed onto the ground. Turning towards the source, "Damn, more of 'em!"

The larger rat scoffed, "Please, like I'm scared of 'em! There's still only five of 'em!"

"Six, actually…" X corrected, "But who's counting, really? You're all gonna wind up kissing the pavement anyway?"

"You don't have any idea who you're dealing with!"

"He has a point, X!" Saber reminded, "Their new weapons are giving us quite the hassle!"

"They got their secret weapon? So do we!"

"…Secret weapon?" Confusion showed on her face. And he did said that there was six of them, yet Quickstrike was nowhere to be found. 'Don't tell me…'

"You see, I wonder just how good you guys are. Anyone knows that any chump could get their hands on a new toy, but the only one who can use a weapon to its full potential are those who are truly dedicated."

"What BS are you spewin' now?" The red-mohawked rat hissed in annoyance. "With these new weapons of ours, none of you Omega Strike punks can stop us!"

"…Is that so?" The mask hid the smirk on X's face, as if he knew what was to happen next, "Then I guess you would be able to avoid the attack from below…"

"What att-AHHH!" A rough hit from below sent him flying into the air, only to land into an open dumpster. Recovering, he saw the identity of the assailant standing above. Due to a mixture of liquid perishables covering his eyes, he couldn't see well, but from what he did see, the assailant wasn't exactly what he had in mind…

"Well, that was easy…" Smirking, Bonnie examined the small pillar she managed to make in the road as the other rats turned their attention towards their fallen leader. _This_ was her first real test as a hero? From the way X described this, she thought it was going to be harder. _A lot_ harder! However, this would prove to be just the beginning…

"Forget about the rest… After her!" Their leader screamed as the rats turned their aggression towards the newcomer.

Still hovering in the air, Saber watched as the four remaining rats rushed towards her, "Okay Bon-Bon, this is your chance to prove yourself. Don't blow it…"

"Okay… Here we go…" Bonnie saw her aggressors heading toward her way as with a thrust of both of her arms, a strong burst of sand shot from her arms, knocking two of them onto the ground as the road began to sink, trapping them inside with only their face still being above level. The next one moved towards her direction. This one moving faster due to the enhancement from his gloves and boots! Realizing her speed disadvantage, she pulled a large chunk of the earth from the ground as she levitated upward.

Watching this, Mindflare nodded, "For a rookie, she's not half bad."

Machpunch frowned, "She ain't half _good_ either."

"Dunno… But I'm really liking her costume," Kittina grinned, noticing the cat ears and tail of Bonnie's outfit.

"Tch, you _would_."

Saber agreed with Machpunch's assessment, noticing the craters in the road, "She does know that we're trying to prevent the initiative from being passed, right?"

"We'll worry about that later," X suggested, "Right now we need to focus on this fight. Who knows if we may have to step in…"

"Yer kidding, right?" Machpunch frowned, "Y'mean we're leaving this to that spoiled bitch?"

"Think of it as a final evaluation. A demo if you will." Mindflare watched as the fast rat grabbed one of the discarded rifles as he opened fire…

"GET DOWN HERE, YA FLYING BITCH!" As the pale, crimson beams continue to fire from the gun, the brunette continued to avoid each of them through the quick movements of her "rock." She knew that she had to come down sooner or later while the Beast Mu-Type still had speed to his advantage. There had to be a way to trip him up somehow… She couldn't manipulate the ground unless she was touching it, but the moment she step foot on the terrain, she was screwed. But still, that did not mean that he was unbeatable. She would have to find the right strategy to use.

Watching the rat carefully, Bonnie could sense that there was a pattern within his movements. As soon as she managed to make it to the ground, she would have to time this precisely and carefully. One false move could bring the end of her. Her strategy formed, Bonnie move to place them to action. "Here goes…"

The rat spotted the Terrakinetic girl landing back onto the ground. 'You're mine…" Utlizing his speed-enhancing equipment, he made a mad dash towards his target. There was no way she would be able to dodge this. And by the time she realized what was happening, she would've been down for the count! However, he suddenly lost his balance as he tripped over. His face slamming onto the ground as it scraped against the asphalt as it slowed down his speed. Due to not having any protection on his face, a trail of blood was left behind…

"Ouch…" Kittina winced, not wanting to see the now-scarred rat's face.

"That's why you should always wear a mask…" Saber commented as she noticed a foot-tall fissure from the road. She had to admit, the way Bonnie thought on her feet was impressive. But that still didn't change anything between them…

Walking over to the downed rat, with a simple motion of her hands, his limbs were instantly caught into the road, "Four down… One to go…" Their leader was in a dumpster, the other three were buried into the asphalt, with one of them having the worst facial ever. Now where was the fifth? The brunette would soon find her answer as from behind, a pair of large hands grabbed a hold of her… "HEY!"

"GOTCHA, YA LITTLE MINX!" Squeezing her tight, the larger rat locked on his hold of her by the waist. With his enhancement gloves still on, his strength was enough to crush her. She may have had the powers to take out his crew, but she didn't have the raw power to stand up against him! Even Omega Strike's muscle, Machpunch, barely lasted against him, what could this smaller girl do?

"Hold it, X." Saber placed a hand on his shoulder, spotting the throwing knives made of ice in his hand, "This is her fight!" Situations like this would be commonplace for her to deal with. X wouldn't be able to come to Bonnie's rescue all the time, so it was best for her to learn how to fend for herself. Besides, this whole thing was sort of cathartic for her…

'Damn it…' Groaning in pain, Bonnie could feel and hear small pops and cracks in her torso. While it may have been loosening her up a bit, his squeezing was also crushing her ribs. She was no longer touching the ground so she couldn't just cover him like the others. His arms were wrapped around hers so she wasn't left without many options. As his arms were massive, she could only pull her forearms up into a 45-degree angle at most. The only part of her body, however, that wasn't bound in any way was her legs. Leaving her with only one option…

"Whoa, B! What the hell?" X responded adamantly as the large rat let out a high-pitched scream.

"That was pretty cheap!" Kittina shared his displeasure.

Saber rolled her eyes, "Why am I not surprised?"

Machpunch shook his head, "This is why women can't be trusted worth shit!" Leave it to the opposite sex to cheat when they find themselves outmatched.

His grip weakening, Bonnie used this as her chance to break free and go back on the offensive. Of course she knew that this wasn't exactly the most honorable route to take, but then again. She wasn't exactly a nice person. "Oh, I'm sorry… Did that hurt?"

"Y-You bitch!" He hissed, grabbing his bruised genitals as he eyed the person in question. Cat ears and all…

"Come now, is that any way to talk to a lady?"

"…You're no lady… Cheap-shotting bitch…"

"Oh don't get all high-and-mighty with morals on me! Like you and your buddies were going to use those weapons for something good!"

"You brat! I would've grinded you into dust!" Ignoring his obvious pain for the chance at vengeance, he tackled towards the masked brunette, who utilized her agility to her advantage as she used his head as a base to vault herself over him to evade the slower assailant. Landing on her feet, she executed a backwards sweep. Tripping him onto his face… "Are you done yet? Have you suffered enough humiliation?"

"Fuck you, Bitch!" Before he could rise back to his feet, he felt a thick strand of leather wrap around his neck as the feeling of a high square heeled boot was slammed onto his back…

"Haven't you realized it yet? I'm faster, smarter, and not to mention better looking than you!" She snarked, holding the firmer end of what appeared to be a whip in her hand, "You can't beat me. Just give up, unless you want even more humiliation." She could hear his gagging from the whip wrapped around his neck, choking… "Assuming you can survive, that is…"

"Does she even realize what she's doing?" Saber was already feeling sorry for the rat. She knew he was the bad guy and all, but this? This was going too far…

"Just end it already!" X ordered. Bonnie has clearly won this fight. She should just restrain him already instead of potentially killing him. They were supposed to be heroes, after all!

"Fine…" With a snap of her wrist, the whip unwrapped from the neck as she stomped the rat's head onto the asphalt. As his arms and legs were engulfed into the road, only his head remained above. At least he could still breathe…

Her whip retracting back to its tail-like state, she returned it to its place on her back, "So, how'd I do?"

"How'd you do?" Saber snapped, almost in a mocking tone, "You made a big crater in the road and you trapped four guys inside there! Not to mention nearly choking one to death after giving a blatant cheap shot!" With this collateral damage, Proposition 54's approval was only a matter of time.

Giving an annoyed look towards Saber, Bonnie moved her hands as the four captured rats were brought upward from their rocky prisons before being covered in sand. Next, she "closed up" the crater she had made. Aside from the rats in their hardened sandy tombs, the road was just the way it was before they arrived, "Happy?"

"That's not the point! You're lucky there weren't any innocent people around otherwise you could've screwed all of us over!" Saber was seriously having second thoughts of her being a worthwhile addition to the team. If her actions today were any indication, she would be doing Mayor Fritzgerald a favor.

"Moving on…" Machpunch grew tired of the girls' arguing, "What's with that outfit? What're ya supposed to be anyway?"

"Oh I think it's pretty obvious, don'cha think?" Kittina chirped, smiling, as she went for a closer look at Bonnie's costume: Purple armored short leotard over a black bodysuit with a small cleavage window. Purple armored plats on shoulders and armored wraps on arms. Purple metal bracers placed from her forearms to the back of her hands containing short, thick, cat-like claws near the knuckles. Her gloves contain sharp, claw-like tips at the end of her fingers. Has a tail in the back that serves as a bullwhip with a maximum reach of 10 yards (It appears as a tail, but when in use its handle and thong increases in length). Most notably, the legs of her bodysuit seem to have "slashes" on the sides, revealing a bit of skin. As it goes down, while the legs are formfitting like the rest of the bodysuit, past the knees the legs flare into pants, over a pair of boots. Save for a pair of cat ears and a face mask, both in black. "You're a kitty girl!"

X snickered, "So you got a cat theme going on, eh B?"

The brunette only smirked, "Just call me Terrakat from now on."

"Okay, 'Terrakat…'" Saber snarked, moving closer to the newly-named Mu-Type as she looked down… "High heels? Seriously?"

She scoffed, "Like _you're_ one to talk." It wasn't as if they were stilettos like her sister's. They were only 2-3 inches at maximum, and even then half that height was more platform than heel anyway so technically it was only 2 inches max. And even then, they were still more practical than _hers_ anyway.

Saber looked down towards her own boots: While they were additions from her Phoenix Armor, the heels were three inches high and unlike Bon…Terrakat's, there were no platforms. "Goddamn it…"

"Damages and fashion sense aside, Terrakat handled herself well for her first battle." Mindflare informed. "Considering how short the timeframe for her training was… X?"

"I have to say aside from almost going Punisher on the guy she did pretty damn good for a rookie."

Machpunch crossed his arms, "I'll say one good thing about her: She's not total deadweight."

Kittina grinned, "It'll be cool to have another cat on the team!"

The brunette blinked at the smaller girl's statement, "Um…Okay?" She turned towards Saber, who was looking away from her. Almost as if she didn't want to deal with her.

"Okay…" Was all she simply said, much to Terrakat's surprise, who felt a hand on her shoulder…

"Give her time," X advised. "This is just a bit much for her to take in, that's all."

"Right…" She frowned. From the approval of the majority, it appeared that she was now a member of Omega Strike, "majority" being the key word. She would like to say that they would accomplish many things together, but she wasn't exactly so sure.

Noticing the others placing their attention towards – might as well just say it – the newest member of their group, the auburn-haired girl frowned. It wasn't as if she wanted to hate her, but there was something about her that she just could get over about her. As if she sensed that there would be a bad thing that would come with her addition. Maybe she was overreacting about this or maybe she just needed to sleep. Nonetheless, things were about to change, and not necessarily for the better…

* * *

Next Chapter: It's Bonnie's first day at Perry Prep as she soon finds that some things always remain the same.

**Chapter 10:** First Day At Perry! The Pecking Order!


	10. First Day At Perry! The Pecking Order!

**Chapter 10:** First Day A Perry! The Pecking Order!

"Okay, let's see…" Bonnie sighed as she looked into the mirror. As she adjusted her black tie, she examined herself to see if there was anything out of place. So far so good, everything seemed to be in order and not a hair was out of place. Though she did wonder about her choice of socks… Rarely did she ever wear socks that were not white, let alone the navy color she was wearing now. Then again, the very idea of wearing a school uniform was something to get used to. Though, the idea of having to wear a uniform at school wasn't completely foreign, given the times she practically lived in her cheer outfit back in Middleton.

Sighing, Bonnie decided to go with her better judgment and stick with the socks she was wearing. Today was her first day of school after all and it was crucial to make a good first impression. Especially given that she didn't exactly have a lot of friends here. And given that there would be plenty of people who were just as if not more rich than she was, she would really have to be on her toes.

Grabbing a medium-sized purple backpack, Bonnie closed the door as she exited her bedroom. It would be around 20 minutes before her driver would arrive to pick her up so she could at least enjoy breakfast.

"Mmm…" Speaking of which, she could hear the sound of a skillet as she could smell bacon. A hint of nostalgia brushing over her, she remembered the days when Lori would cook breakfast for the three of them before school. Of course Connie and Lonnie would try to take everything and _maybe_ leave her a single sausage. This time, there weren't any siblings to take it all and leave her with nothing. Plus, it would be nice to enjoy a balanced breakfast with her parents before school…

Reaching downstairs, she head immediately into the kitchen, "Hey Mom, what are you-" Instead of a woman in the kitchen, there was a rotund, middle-aged man dressed in a chef's uniform who was at the stove. "…cooking?"

"Ah, Miss Fidelia!" He greeted, "Breakfast should be ready in less than three minutes!"

"Okay, but don't cook too much. I'm trying to watch my figure. And it's Bonnie." She said. It's been nearly a month and people still seem to refuse to call her Bonnie, no matter how much she insisted. Out of respect for her parents, perhaps it was for the best…

'But what about respect for Lori? She was the one who raised me and has been there for me for my childhood.'

'Yeah, for _Bonnie_. You were just a replacement for her dead daughter.'

'But…_I'm_ Bonnie.'

'No, you're _Fidelia_. 'Bonnie' was Lori's dead daughter.'

'Even so, the fact remains that while she may not have been my mother by birth, Lori did raise me, so she deserves some respect. …Even if I was just a replacement daughter, she still treated me well.'

Taking a seat at the dining table, the fact that the chef walked out of the kitchen with a tray containing a full plate and orange juice in hand was a much needed sign that breakfast was ready. "Thank you."

…

18 minutes later, Bonnie cleaned off any crumbs or remaining residue from the food with her napkin as she headed towards the nearest bathroom. While she may've appeared to be clean, she didn't want the smell much less stickiness of syrup and grease all over her hands and face on her first day of school. "Okay Hayden, this is it. You won't get any second chances…" Lathering her hands with a mixture of warm water and clear liquid soap with an aroma of strawberries, Bonnie made sure to get between her nails before rinsing then drying her hands.

"Miss Fidelia, your limo is here."

"Thank you, Bennett." Sighing, Bonnie switched off the lights as she headed back to the table to grab her bag before heading out to her limo. As tempting as it was to drive her Lexus Convertible, she wasn't sure that it would be a good idea on her first day. For one thing, who knew what kind of enemies she may make in Perry. If it was at a public school like Middleton High or Newport High, it wouldn't have been an issue. Money was a symbol of power and thus a reason to be respected and feared. Thus, no one would've dared cross her, at least without serious consequences. But given that at Perry there would be more than a likely chance of other rich kids attending, she would have to be careful. She couldn't use her intimidation tactics. If anything, those tactics would most likely be used on _her_.

Closing the door, she spotted the familiar black stretch limo with a chauffeur standing outside of the open door, waiting for her. "To Perry." She simply said as he returned to the driver's seat. As the limo proceeded to depart the premises, Bonnie's thoughts turned towards Raquelle. Given that her mother told her that she too goes… _used_ to go to Perry, she wondered what her reputation was like. Was she popular, as in as popular as she was back in Middleton? Or was she a social outcast or at the very least looked down upon and criticized by her peers (She had to be if she was actually dating Asters). What if she was popular? What if she had the exact same status as she did back in Middleton? What if she was the Queen B of Perry Prep? Talk about having big shoes to fill, this would be just like Connie and Lonnie all over again! …If the relationship wasn't that way already!

And what about the school's food chain? She didn't care how many times Zach shunned the idea, there was always a social hierarchy in which should always be one of the highest priorities. And at a private school like Perry Prep, the probability of one existing was even higher! Was it like in Middleton, where she could be seated on top easily? Or was it completely different where things were bizarre, such as the nerds and geeks ranking high while the beautiful people were mocked by their peers, ranking at the…

Bonnie scoffed at the very idea. If anything, the hierarchy would be structured the same way as it was back at home. Only it would be a lot more sensitive. This would be the first private school she has ever gone to, but any idiot could clearly see that prep schools were no way as optimistic as public schools. And besides, Asters had no right to tell her what was real and what was ridiculous! The guy only lasted for about a week before his exile to public school! What did he know? Either way, this would prove to be a real eye-opener. A wake-up call if you will. Nevertheless, she would have to be real careful.

…

15 minutes later, the Limo pulled up to the sidewalk as the driver exited the car. Opening the back door, he stepped aside as Bonnie exit the car to take a good look at the building before her. It was a four-story colonial-styled building with a wide, concrete pathway to her left that was between there and the sidewalk. The snow has mostly melted away since but there was some left. Though there wasn't enough to invoke the need of snow boots and the weather wasn't cold enough for thick coats. Granted she was here before with her parents when she enrolled, but it was still a sight to get used to. This was nothing like Middleton High. At all…

As she watched other students enter the building, she could see some differences within the uniforms. Particularly the colors of socks and ties. Some wore red ties while others wore black. And while some of the girls wore gray socks, others wore white. 'Did I wear the wrong socks?' Her concerns were put to rest as she saw other girls wearing navy socks. 'Oh thank god…' Reaching into her blazer, she pulled out a piece of paper from the pocket before unfolding it. "Okay, so I have Number 534. Got it…" Heading inside, Bonnie decided to go see the contents of her locker. Luckily she didn't have to share it with anyone so if they were anything like back in Middleton, she would have plenty of room (They were roomy enough for a loser to be stuff in, that's for sure). Then she would have to head to class. What was first on the list, Algebra II?

Further inside, she saw more and more of the students, each having at least a minimum air of class and sophistication. A sigh of relief escaped the brunette's lips. Not a sign of "loser" within anyone. It was nice knowing that things would be more sophisticated and less embarrassing such as no foam-spewing mascots or naked rodents. Those were the things people should be shot for. Then again, she couldn't help but worry. If none of the obvious signs were around, then what qualified as a status symbol of disgrace? Everyone knew that in each social hierarchy there were geeks, freaks, losers, and other social outcasts – and if you didn't believe or know about this, then _you_ fit the aforementioned. Could what she believed to be the signs of high class society and status actually be what determines her to be a loser in this school?

Reaching a group of lockers, she saw that they varied in sizes. Some were small stacked on top each other while others were taller. She wondered which one would she be getting: The tall one or one of the shorter ones? Hopefully the former, as she sure as hell didn't want to share a space with someone. "534… 34… Here we are!" Upon seeing the plaque-like tag number on top of the steel door, Bonnie took a good look at her locker as she sighed in relief. Thank god it was one of the taller ones. Looking down at her locker combination listed on her paper, she made the necessary turns before it opened. As expected, it was empty, but unlike her locker back in Middleton High, it still appeared to be brand new instead of the slight wear and tear and smell of rust. Placing one foot inside, she moved in to see how roomy it was. It was _very_ cramped, but she managed to be able to fit her body inside. Barely…

Placing her textbooks inside, Bonnie zipped back up her backpack as she made her way to class. She could worry about exploring the whole school later. It was crucial to make a good first impression. Otherwise, whatever reputation you gain would stay with you for the rest of your student life – If you were lucky.

…

"Good morning class! I trust that you all had a wonderful holiday break," stated a man, appearing to be in his early forties, standing in front of a whiteboard before a group of seated students. "Within a few moments I will pass out the Syllabus. If you do not get one, you can always find it on Blackboard. But first, we have a new student in our school. Please give her a warm welcome."

Seeing that it was her cue, Bonnie took the initiative to stand before the class before taking in a deep breath. "Hi, my name is Fidelia Hayden. But you can call me Bonnie. I was born and raised in Middleton Colorado before I moved here over Winter Break. I enjoy cheerleading and dancing."

"Hayden, eh? Are you Raquelle's sister by any chance?" He asked, "I can see a resemblance. _Really_ see a resemblance."

'And it begins…' Repressing the urge to roll her eyes, Bonnie could already hear the whispers coming from her new classmates. "Yes, she's my twin sister." She informed, as from the leers she got from some of the guys, she was beginning to regret it. What was it with the whole "Twin Threesome Fantasy" guys have anyway?

"Well anyway Bonnie, Cheer practice should resume tomorrow. If you're interested, you can set up an appointment with Coach Wiels later today. Please take a seat. There should be an empty chair next to Alexis.

Bonnie looked towards the direction the teacher was pointing as she saw seated at a table in the back a girl wearing a long blonde ponytail and thin glasses. With a nod, she headed towards her seat. On her way to her destination she could hear whispers among them. She couldn't hear clearly what they were exactly saying, but she already realized that it had plenty to do with her family, more specifically her sister. 'Been in the class for only three minutes and already my sister's reputation is influencing mine…' This _was_ Connie and Lonnie all over again!

"Hi, I'm Alexis!" She greeted her as Bonnie took her seat. Her voice was a bit high and mousey, but in no way was it grating. "Don't pay attention to those guys."

"I wasn't." Pulling herself closer to the table, she opened her bag as she took out a textbook. "So, how much of a hardass this guy is?"

"Uhh…" She was taken aback by her choice of words, "If by that you mean a difficult teacher, then he's definitely so. I've heard he's also quite generous. He usually drops the lowest two scores of your exams."

The brunette sighed, "That's a relief…" It was possible that she may not have enough time to study thoroughly.

20 minutes have passed as Bonnie's attention was barely on the projected board in front of her. Twiddling a pencil, she idly listened to the teacher's lectures as she remembered how much she loathed being in classes. They were always so…boring. At any case, next class was English Literature, then came her lunch period. Following that was Chemistry and finally PhysEd. Tomorrow would be Sociology, Spanish, World History, Lunch, and Study Hall in that order. Then it would alternate back to today's schedule and then to tomorrow's until Friday. Then it'll all start back again next week.

During all of this, Bonnie couldn't help but notice the glares she was getting. Particularly from a platinum-blonde-haired girl a few rows in front on the right side. Already she was getting a snooty vibe coming from her, let alone the urge to slam her pampered face into a wall…

"That's Nevaeh Rosewood." Alexis advised, "You might want to stay away from her. She has a reputation of making things…less than pleasant for the new girls."

"You think _that_ is supposed to scare me?"

"Her father is very powerful man. Thus by association Nevaeh has a lot of influence."

"So she's rich? Like _that's_ supposed to impress anyone."

Alexis was stunned by Bonnie's nonchalant attitude, "To say that you don't know what you'd be getting yourself into would be putting it lightly. Friends, boyfriends, even your family could be in trouble just by _looking_ at her the wrong way. I'm begging you, Bonnie. Just be careful."

"…Would anyone like to come up to the board and solve this system?"

Bonnie blinked in surprise. From talking to the girl beside her, she nearly completely tuned out the teacher's lecture. Still, it wasn't exactly something she couldn't recover from. Upon looking at the interactive white board, she saw the system in question. 'This shouldn't be too hard.' This was her chance to show these people that she had brains as well as beauty.

"Ah, Miss Hayden! Perhaps you would like to solve it?"

"Yes sir!" Standing from her seat, Bonnie made her way towards the front of the class. Before moving here, she had only heard about smart boards as she never had an opportunity to see one in action, let alone use one. The main things that were needed were a computer, a projector, and an IR pen. A good smart board cost at around $500 at minimum, but it was possible to build your own from scratch (Who with all of their funds would waste their time doing that? Probably Cassidy…). However, right before she could reach the podium to grab an IR pen, she felt a foot placed in front of her as well-placed hands barely kept her face from slamming onto the hard floor.

"Oops!" She heard a sarcastic remark as snickers were heard throughout the room. Recovering, Bonnie glared towards the owner of the not-so misplaced foot. It was that same blonde girl who gave her a dirty look the moment she walked through the door. "What are you looking at?"

"Not much…" She simply said as she grabbed the IR pen. As much as she would want to put this overprivileged princess in her place, she was barely worth getting detention for – And on her first day no less! "Let's see…"

…

"…Five X equals negative five. Divide five on both sides and X will equal to one!" Bonnie finished as the projected board displayed the steps she took to reach her conclusion.

"Very good Miss Hayden! You may return to your seat!"

Proud at her accomplishment, a satisfied Bonnie made her way back to her seat as she spotted Nevaeh's glare once again. History was about to repeat once again. But instead of the expected fall as last time, a hard snap sound was heard followed by a loud scream…

"Is there something wrong Miss Rosewood?"

"Yeah, _her_!" She complained, pointing at Bonnie. "She stepped on my foot!"

"Oops!" Now it was Bonnie's turn for sarcasm. "Sorry, I didn't see your foot while I was walking to my seat."

"Like hell you didn't see it!" Nevaeh whimpered, "Damn, I think it's broken…"

"If you need to go to the nurse-"

"No, I mean my heel!" She snapped at the teacher as she saw the black broken bottom of the thin, needle-like heel rocking back and forth next to her damaged shoe. She glared at Bonnie, "You did that on purpose!"

"Not anymore than you trying to trip me, twice!" She responded with a smirk.

"Enough, both of you! Miss Hayden, return to your seat immediately. Any more out of either of you and you will both have detention."

"Yes Mr. Wheeler." Both apologized, believing that the other wasn't worth risking detention. …For now, as they still gave each other glares as Bonnie returned to her seat. Much to Alexis' shock…

"Do you have a death wish?" She scolded. "Those were her new stilettos! She's been showing them off all morning, and you just wrecked them like that!"

She scoffed, "It's not my fault she has mediocre taste in fashion." Any girl worth her sense in fashion would've made sure that the material was at the very least worth the money. Either the material was really that cheap or was she really that strong. She then noticed two new pairs of glares towards her direction: One from a brunette, the other from a redhead. Judging from where they were seated, they seemed to have some relationship with Nevaeh. This one-on-one into three-on-one was now certain. 'Should've seen that one coming…' This was going to be a long day.

**Omega Strike HQ**

"It just keeps on comin'…" Machpunch groaned as he switched off the large overhead monitor showing the news reports. "What is this, the fifth one this month?"

Mindflare closed his eyes as he reviewed the news at hand. Another girl was abducted and was never to be seen again. From the description and photo, the girl had dark brown hair and green eyes: A petite Caucasian. Her name was Erica Violette. She was last seen going out on a night in the town with her friends, yet they managed to make it home safely. According to them, they met a guy at a club in Providence. Odd are that he would be the key to her disappearance. "Clearly there is a pattern to all of this."

Celeste asked, "Is there anything we know about Erica Violette?"

Machpunch scoffed, "Well she's definitely gonna get some undeserved air time, that's fer sure." There could be an event like a bombing of a building or natural history in the making, yet apparently some girl – clearly a Darwin Award nominee – getting into trouble for doing something stupid is more important. Bonus points if she's white.

"Machpunch…"

"Nah! I'm sick of these stupid whores gettin' themselves into situations anyone who's not an idiot could avoid easily yet gettin' more sympathy than anyone else would! Maybe a 'lil Natural Selection would teach 'em some damn common sense. An' I betcha 50 bucks that she was drunk outta her ass at the time!"

Mindflare ignored Machpunch's statements, "Regardless, this is a major problem. Looking into her background, Erica appears to come from a wealthy family."

"So she's another spoiled rich girl, so what?"

"All of the victims seem to have a similar profile as her: Each young, beautiful, and come from a rich family. There must be a method to their selection process…"

"Perhaps the answer is simpler than we believe." Celeste explained, typing into her laptop. "Each of them goes to a private school, whether if it's in the same area or a different city. Whoever is behind this wants to make sure that their targets are those who have some value."

Machpunch turned to Mindflare, "Well fearless leader, what's our next move?"

"Any hint of our involvement could tip the abductors off. Therefore, we must proceed with our investigation carefully and swiftly. In other words, we need someone who can fit the description."

"I doubt any of us can! Saber's smart enough that she could pull it off, but Kittina's-" He stopped, realizing what Machpunch could possibly mean. "Oh hell no… Don't tell me yer even considerin'…"

"She fits what they're looking for. Also, she could do well as an inside man."

"But seriously, _her_? That unproven rookie?"

"I believe that she's already proven herself the other day, if I remember correctly," Celeste reminded. "Unless you need to refresh your memory…"

"If I even feel a single poke in my head, I'll make it so that you'll really be needin' that wheelchair!" He threatened, "Don't think I've forgotten about 'cha basically doing Possible's dirty work!"

Hearing those words caused the young girl to look downward in shame, 'He's still hasn't forgiven me…'

"Machpunch!" The larger young man saw the fierce look in his leader's eyes. Almost as if he was ready to strike him down!

"She's the one who screwed me over! As far as I'm concerned, she brought it on herself!"

"Even so, that still doesn't give you any righ-"

"I HAVE _EVERY_ RIGHT TO KILL HER FOR WHAT SHE DID TO ME!" What she did was a blatant abuse of trust! "Betrayal" did even begin to describe what Celeste did. Calming himself down, he rose from his chair, "Do whatever ya want…"

Watching the behemoth walk away, Mindflare turned to the young girl, "I'm sorry you had to go through that…"

"No…" She shook her head, "He's right! He has every right in the world to hate me!"

"What you did was both uncalled for and wrong, but that still doesn't give him the right to-"

"He has every right! Do you even realize what I've done? What _we've_ done? I basically erased any progress he's made over the years…"

Mindflare placed a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be okay. He'll forgive you someday. He's just…still angry about the whole thing."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"He will! It may take some time, but he will. He may be a bit rough and even harsh at times, but Greg Torrello is a good man. He's just… very paranoid."

"…And I've proven him right to be so…"

"It's in the past, Celeste! All I want you to take from this is the consequences of your actions. You'll need to be able to hold things together in my absence."

She blinked, "Absence?"

"Correct. I have business in Middleton. I'll probably be gone for a few days. Perhaps even longer, depending on how things go. Keep the team from falling apart. Especially with Saber and Terrakat…"

Celeste nodded, realizing the growing tension between the two of them, though she wondered if it was partially out of Saber's anger towards her sister (And thus, her by association). Plus, there's also her own issue with Machpunch, though she could be thankful that his relationship with Kittina hasn't been affected. In fact she was possibly the only girl he trusted now…

Sighing, she knew it was time to get back to work. This current issue wasn't going to resolve by itself after all…

**Perry Prepatory Academy**

"At least the food here is better than back at home…" Looking down on the tray, Bonnie saw a healthy assortment of foods: A mixture of vegetables such as corn and green beans, macaroni and cheese, a small slab of baby back ribs, save for a glass of orange juice. It was a new thing for her eating outdoors, given that she had often eaten inside of the cafeteria. In fact she was allowed to eat lunch off-campus if she had wanted to, but she decided to start off simple and just eat the cafeteria food like the majority – and by majority she meant the underclassmen. Thankfully it was a step up from the slop that was usually served back in Middleton.

"So what's it like living in a mountain town?" Alexis asked, drinking out of her glass of milk.

"Other than having a ski resort nearby for class trips, there isn't much of a difference." So far, locations aside, the only real difference so far is that Newport was livelier than Middleton – mostly due to tourism. Other than that, it was just a regular town. A more expensive town perhaps, but still a regular one!

"Can I ask you a question?"

Mentally sighing, Bonnie had an idea where this was going, "Sure."

"Raquelle has been going here for three years before she dropped out. Yet we never heard anything about her having a sister. Yet here you are! Were you sent to live with relatives for a few years?"

She closed her eyes, "Something like that. It's a long story, really." She didn't really want to go into details about the whole thing. That she was led to believe that she was the daughter of a family who with an exception clearly didn't want her to be there? Alexis seemed to be a nice girl, but she didn't exactly know her long enough to trust her with such details. Given that she was still in unfamiliar territory, special precautions need to be taken. In this school, she was virtually alone where all of her available resources just gave her a level playing field rather than any major advantage. There was Eric maybe, but she hasn't seen even a sign of him. Either their lunch periods were really different or was he in a completely different part of the building.

Glancing at Alexis, Bonnie couldn't help but being reminded of Tara from back home. During her last days in Middleton, she knew that she was a bit unbearable and seriously pissed her off over that incident with Possible and Stoppable, but she was always there for her when push came to shove. And while she wasn't exactly a fashionista, she seemed to at least have her own sense of beauty. Having a good personality had its perks as well. As the eyes belonging to two guys clearly showed…

A grin formed on the brunette's face, "Looks like you have some admirers."

Alexis noticed, "Uh…I think they're more interested in you."

"Oh come on! Don't sell yourself short! Why wouldn't any guy want you?"

"…Because I'm not exactly like other girls," She shook her head, "Like Nevaeh!"

She scoffed, "Seriously? Nevaeh? I hardly see any reason why anyone would want to be anything like that loser."

"Well she's beautiful-"

"So are you!"

"She's rich-"

"You are too, right?"

She shook her head, "Actually I'm only here on a scholarship. I have to keep up my grades or I will be expelled from the school."

'So I guess that answered how tough this school will be…' If the fact that Perry was giving out scholarships for grade school students meant anything, then this school had really high standards. Bonnie knew that she most likely wouldn't get any slack.

"Hey!"

Taken off guard, Bonnie turned over as she saw one of their admirers; a long-haired young man who seemed to be of Arabic descent. "Er…hi!"

"You're Bonnie, right?" Her nodding indicated for him to continue, "So, how're you liking Perry so far?"

"It'll take some getting used to, but it's okay…"

He nodded, "Well anyway, my friends are calling for me. We have a project we need to finish or we're all getting Fs. Maybe I'll see ya around some time?"

"Sure!" She smiled, "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon!"

"Alright then, take care!" He said as he walked off, leaving Alexis stunned…

"D-do you know who you were just talking too?" She asked, eyes widened.

"A really hot guy?" Bonnie responded, much to her frustration.

"That was Douglas Al Sheeb, son of Amir Al Sheeb, CEO of the Newport Branch of Fanta! And you know how popular those drinks are here!"

"I know. I've seen their vending machines monopolize the entire school!" Bonnie smirked, "So, does he have a brother?"

Alexis sighed, "It's okay, really! I know what you're trying to do, but Doug's not even my type anyway."

"But still I feel a bit guilty." By all rights Alexis did see him first and she had showed some hint of attraction towards him. It would've been a dick move to just take him from under her nose. Then again, if she didn't want him then she would gladly take him off of her hands…

"Hey, new girl!"

'Oh god…' Repressing the urge to roll her eyes, Bonnie turned around to find three unwelcomed faces, "What do you want?"

Nevaeh narrowed her eyes, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was trying to eat my lunch. Now that you're here, I've seem to lost my appetite."

"Don't try to play dumb. …Well, dumber than you are! I saw you getting smitten with my boyfriend!"

She scoffed, "_Your_ boyfriend?"

"Yeah, _my_ boyfriend!"

"Well I guess that explains a lot…"

Her redhead friend raised an eyebrow, "About what?"

"Why he was flirting with me in the first place." She smirked.

"Please," The blonde snarked back, "Don't think you're all that. As if he would even considering dating trash like you…"

"And yet he seems to be so willing." Bonnie pointed towards Nevaeh, "Which probably explains a lot about you. Y'know… if you really are his girlfriend."

Nevaeh desperately tried to maintain her anger to prevent her from given this insolent brat the trashing she deserved, "You know what, just because I'm in a good mood, I'm going to give you a friendly word of warning."

"…And that is?"

"Learn your place. And learn it quickly. Otherwise, things here will become a living hell for you rather quickly."

"What is this? A threat?" What kind of B-rated movie did these morons come from?

"No it's a promise! So if you know what's good for you, you'll watch yourself." She turned around as she and her posse proceeded to leave, "Unless you want to end up like your sister."

'Was I ever _this_ pathetic?' Once again, Bonnie suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, "What does my sister have to do with this?"

"Let's just say that I know quite a bit about her." Nevaeh informed as the darker-haired girl beside her decided to add in her two cents.

"Just so you know, her and Raquelle used to be close so whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, she's already thought of them. Assuming that you're even worth as much as your sister…"

She scoffed, "Let me guess. You were friends with my sister before you grew too big for your britches and started a nasty rumor in order to get her kicked out of school or to humiliate her into dropping out – whichever came first. Aside from the fact that she was planning on leaving anyway, all that you did was end up falling flat on your face." She smirked towards the shocked entourage, "Oh my sister… My dear sweet sister… She was a real Queen Bee here. Everyone knew that she was obviously the HBIC – something you wish you were yet know you'll never be. Though there was something about her dating some fool from Newport High, but despite that there wasn't anything or anyone who was able to knock her off her throne. Yeah, you volunteered to be one to do so – mostly so you can take over, but you were as obvious as the brown roots in your hair.

That seemed to be the final straw as Bonnie felt her pastels gripped before being pulled over, "Listen up and listen good you little bitch! This isn't like that school from that pissant mountain town you used to live in! This is the real world, Sweetheart, so you better get with the program! Otherwise, you will be begging that you stayed in that pissant mountain town!"

"Are you done?" Glares were traded back and forth as the pure hatred between the blonde and the brunette radiated. However, a smirk soon came to Nevaeh's face…

"BONNIE WATCH OUT!"

Before she could react, a full bucket of what appeared to be blood spilled right on top of her as everyone placed their attention onto the event that was occurring before their eyes. Bonnie could hear snickers and outright laughter coming from the observers as she saw two of Nevaeh's shadows high-fiving each other. Speaking of whom…

"Welcome to Perry, Loser!" Within an air of triumph, a satisfied Nevaeh walked off along with her group. The fact that the new girl liked hearing the sound of her voice a bit too much was what made it easy to pull off in the first place.

Alexis rushed over the drenched girl, "Are you okay?"

"Do I _look_ okay?" She snapped, her arms rose, as she could see the blood staining the sleeves of her shirt inside of the blazer. She could even feel some of the blood getting in between her toes.

"They must've gotten all that blood from the biology lab!"

"I noticed!" She hissed, seriously fighting the urge to bury Nevaeh and her cronies underground alive. Near a volcano! She hasn't been here for a full day and already she was humiliated! She could already see the irony in this: About a few months ago, she could see herself doing something like this to Kim. But unlike Possible, she wasn't going to just let it slide and allow Nevaeh to get away with it.

This called for retaliation. _Serious_ retaliation…

* * *

Next Chapter: Bonnie receives her first mission as she plots her revenge towards Nevaeh, but gets an unexpected invite.

**Chapter 11:** The First Mission! A Night Out!


	11. The First Mission! A Night Out!

**Chapter 11:** The First Mission! A Night Out!

'At least the locker room area's in good condition…' As the water pressure from the showerhead decreased gradually, Bonnie reached for a white towel as she proceeded to dry herself off. Fortunately she was the only one within the area as everyone else was either at lunch or in class – and those that were in Phys-Ed were currently outside on the track field.

"I'm sorry Nevaeh did that to you, but I tried to warn you."

She scoffed at Alexis' apology, "Don't be. Not like _you_ could've done anything." Wrapping the towel around her from chest to bottom, "Did my stuff came?"

She nodded, "Your butler asked me to give you your things. He's already taken your bloodied clothes to the cleaners."

"Good…" It was very convenient that she had gym class today, otherwise she would've had Bennett bring more things from home. It was also fortunate that she had the foresight to buy another school uniform just in case something like this would happen. Though, the annoying thing about this now was that she would have to clean up the blood from the inside of her shoes when she got home. Worst case scenario being forced to buy a new pair – Not so much expensive as it was inconvenient. Nevertheless, Nevaeh Rosewood had better watch her back. She could've let this go, but instead the blonde had to escalate things. Then again, this should've been expected – After all, _she_ would have. 'So this is Karma…'

"You must really know about Raquelle, huh? For someone who hasn't seen her for that past 15 years or so…"

"Yeah…" Her towel dropping onto the floor, Bonnie had since slipped on a black bra and a pair of matching panties (She was now in a dark mood, after all). 'So much that I don't even know_ how_ I do know…' It happened again. Not that she completely blacked out, but it seemed to be pouring in during their confrontation. It was like all the info she needed, everything about her came to her instantly. From who she is, how she gets things done, as well as the _real_ reason why she had a fall out with Raquelle. That reason which could really damage her reputation, not only in school but in the whole community as well. By all rights she should just blurt this secret out and be done with it. But she knew that this would just escalate into even more drama that she so did not need. But that didn't mean that she wasn't going to get compensation for the whole blood thing. If she thought what she did to her shoe was bad, she hasn't seen what it was like to have her as an enemy.

"I guess now you've really gotten to know the real Nevaeh Rosewood."

Hearing the new voice, Bonnie let out a scoff, "Let me guess: Asters asked you to look out for me."

"Actually…He knew that you'd be a target given who you were." Maya admitted, "He said that you probably wouldn't need it, but just to be on the safe side I should check up on ya."

Buttoning up her shirt, "So, where'd Alexis go?"

"I saw her leaving the locker room in a hurry for some reason."

"Wonderful…" She slipped into her skirt, "So I guess her and Zach don't get along well, either."

"They just avoid each other. Nevaeh thinks he's low-class trash, while Zach pretty much ignores every word she says. Almost like he used to do with Rocky…"

She scoffed, "He tends to do that to a lot of people." Her socks now on, Bonnie slipped into a pair of black ballet flats, "Did you know my sister?"

"I knew _of_ her, if that's what you're asking. But I've never actually met the girl."

"Of course…" Making the final adjustments to her tie, she walked over to the hand dryer as she turned the nozzle upward before pressing the metal button.

"So what are you going to do about Nevaeh?" Maya asked out of curiosity. "Surely you're not going to do something stupid like get into a fight with her!"

"What, and get myself expelled from Perry and forced to go to Public School? Get real!" As her hair blew against the warm jet of air, Bonnie admitted that the idea of bruising Nevaeh's pretty face was very appealing. But she knew that it was quite possibly the stupidest thing she could do. This wasn't like back in Middleton where the teachers would most likely look the other way. Let's not forget that Zach Asters used to go to this school before he was expelled for the same reason. She remembered Alexis telling her that the Rosewood family was among the most well-known alumni at Perry, not to mention being the biggest contributor in school donations. Thus Nevaeh already have plenty of connections to allow her to get away with things no one else would. She could basically give a poor girl a beating worse than Zach did to that kid years ago and would only get a slap on the wrist. The Haydens on the other hand weren't so lucky, especially after Raquelle's unceremonious departure.

"Well anyway, I'm about to head to class." Maya advised, "You might wanna make sure your tray's been returned to the cafeteria. You could really be risking a demerit otherwise. Not a good thing to have for new students such as yourself."

"Yeah yeah…" She scoffed as she quickly brushed her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, while she did appear to look presentable, she still looked a bit disheveled. Given the circumstances, it couldn't exactly have been helped. Nevertheless, this would do. Placing her blazer on, Bonnie placed the remains of her used clothing into her bag as she proceeded back to the courtyard. She could explain her tardiness easily, but she couldn't excuse an act such as not cleaning up after herself.

..

As she watched the tray's remaining contents pour into the rubber trash dispenser, she watched as she could see some of the hungry students finding a table in order to enjoy their lunch – a clear sign that she was late for Chemistry.

"Well well, looking good Bon-Bon!"

'Can he keep _anything_ a secret?' She winced at the nickname, promising to slap Asters the next time she saw him. Walking towards the source of the voice, "What do you want?"

Rex held his hands up, "Easy, I just wanted to say hi!" Looking down to examine her uniform, "Suits you."

"If checking me out is all that you came here to do, then I must _really_ be going! I'm already late for class as it is!"

"Okay, time to get serious." Rex stated in a more business-like manner. "Does the name Erica Violette mean anything to you?"

She raised a brow, "Who?"

"Okay… Anyway, Erica Violette is another among a series of abductions as of late. From what intel we've managed to gather, these abductors seems to be targeting a particular type: Young, beautiful, and not to mentioned privileged girls."

"And let me guess: You want me to be some sort of decoy, right?"

"Actually I was gonna ask you to look around and possibly come up with a list of names of who could be a potential target. Maybe even make friends with 'em. But given your pedigree, that'll work too!"

Bonnie was not impressed, "Uh huh… So you're already deciding to use the new recruit as bait?"

"Think of it more as being undercover. Given that you're basically a new transfer, you'll be seen as an easy target. After all, out of towners aren't usually in the know, right?"

Bonnie sighed, "I'll keep my eyes open. Now unless you have something you really need me to do, I _really_ have to be going now!"

He shrugged, "Okay okay, go to class…" As he watched the girl walk towards the building, he couldn't help but notice how attractive she was. She was feisty, had a nice body, and after thinking about it could be a great girlfriend to somebody. 'I need to talk to Zach for some advice…'

…

As the day continued to go on as normal, Bonnie managed to make it through the rest of her classes. While Chemistry was mostly boring (As it was just going through the basis of the course for the whole 90 minutes), at least Phys Ed provide some excitement. Too bad Dodgeball was banned…

At the loud banging sound of the bell ringing, students began to gradually exit the learning facility. While some left by their own cars (or at least their parents'), others had a more "privileged" way of departing…

Standing on the sidewalk in front of the school, Bonnie's foot tapped on the pavement as she waited for her limo to arrive. Admittedly, she couldn't get the thought of the abductions out of her head. While usually she would just write it off as it being someone else's problem, she knew that she should show a bit more concern for the matter at hand. For one, she was now among a group of superheroes and should show a bit more compassion out of principle. She has to be noble, heroic and to serve and protect. Another thing to think about was that if the criteria of the potential abductees Rex gave her were anything to go by, she could very well be next on the list. Sure she wasn't at the very least helpless – her abilities aside – but for all that was known, these abductors could be Mu-Types as well. And while she has come a long way in terms of her skills at hand-to-hand combat, she still had a ways to go. Maybe Zach was up for a one-on-one. She still needed to slap him a few times for the "Bon-Bon" leak.

"Bonnie! I didn't expect to find you here."

Turning towards the source of the voice, her eyes widened, "Doug, hi!"

"Are you alright?" He asked, clearly referencing what happened during lunch, "You seem to be doing better than before."

"It's okay. Good thing I had a spare uniform. It would've been embarrassing having to be sent home on the first day."

"Yeah… Don't know what has gotten into Nevaeh."

"She seemed to be upset with us talking to each other." She glanced at him accusingly, "Is there anything going on between you two?"

"Oh no! We talk and sometimes have lunch together, but we're only mere acquaintances. There is nothing between us."

"Well then…" Grinning, Bonnie stroked Doug's cheek with a finger, "Perhaps you and I could have lunch together sometime. We could even go out to dinner, perhaps?"

He smiled, "While the offer is tempting, I'm afraid that I must decline, as I've already made prior plans this afternoon."

"Oh…" Bonnie tried to not look too disappointed, "Maybe another time, then?"

"That would be delightful." With a small peck on a cheek, "My ride has arrived, I must be off!"

"See you!" Rubbing her kissed cheek, Bonnie gave a small smile as she watched Doug enter the departing car. It was her first day and already she seemed to have a potential boyfriend, given that he was interested and more importantly single –regardless of what Nevaeh says. And she didn't even have to scheme or manipulate for it to work out in her favor (If anything, Nevaeh's actions actually helped her look better). Aside from a bloodied uniform and possibly-ruined shoes this day didn't turn out bad at all.

"_What_ do you think you're doing?"

'So much for that…' Speaking of whom, Bonnie turned around as frustration showed on her face, "What do you want?"

Nevaeh scoffed, "It seems some of the blood has managed to affect your brain. Not that you had much to work with, mind you…"

As Bonnie saw the girl advancing toward her, upon standing nose to nose, she noticed a height difference. Normally they would've been around the same height, but due to Bonnie switching from her platforms to her flats, Nevaeh towered a good several inches over her. "Do you have a point?"

"You're so lucky that I have so much better things to do, so I'll tell you this once more: Stay away from Doug! Otherwise, what happened to you today will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you next."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a promise! Trust me, little girl! You don't want to mess with me."

"Big talk from someone who has Mommy and Daddy backing her up!" She smirked, "Try actually saying that to my face _without_ the added height." She pointed downward towards her heels (She still didn't know how she was able to repair them quickly).

"My stilettos have nothing to do with any of this. It's all the same in the end!" The blonde narrowed her eyes, "As much as I would like to lecture you about the laws of the land here, I so have much better things to do than deal with street corner trash like you."

Flinching at her Rapunzel-like hair flaring into her face as she walked away, Bonnie only stared at the irritating blonde leaving her. What was her deal anyway and how the hell did her sister ever get involved with this moron? Fortunately for her sanity, it didn't take long for her limo to arrive. The chauffeur proceeding to open the door, Bonnie stepped inside as she continued thinking about her new enemy.

As it was, she knew how to completely destroy Miss Rosewood. All it took was a leak of a certain tidbit about her that involved Raquelle and her reputation would be shot. To say nothing about her parents' reactions to the news… She may not know a thing about them, but she doubt that they would be _that_ open minded. For what she did to her for no reason at all, by all rights she should just blurt out her secret in public. But that would lead to retaliation on the blonde's part. Retaliation she did not need. Still, she should do something, if only to let her know that she wouldn't be putting up with her crap. But what, though? She obviously couldn't throw blood on her, as fitting as it was. That was so "Been there, done that." She needed something fresh. Something that would really humiliate her as she did her… But she could place her on the backburner for now. As there were more important things to worry about.

Like those abducted girls.

From what Rex told her, all the girls fit a certain criteria: They were both rich and beautiful. But why would that be important? If they wanted to go low key, couldn't they just find some people who were more common and otherwise expendable (The media would think so, unless she was young, pretty, and white)? Or maybe that was the point. They wanted to get as much attention as possible. Maybe there was a ransom involved, yet from what she managed to research there wasn't any mentioning of money or other demands.

Or maybe it was all a distraction. After all, why would anyone who's committing a crime want so much exposure, besides basically being a bunch of attention whores? For all that was known it could all be a smokescreen for something big. But what could they be up to?

Or maybe she's just over thinking things. It's only been a few days since she joined Omega Strike and already she was reaching towards ridiculous theories. She shouldn't let the pressure get to her. It was best to approach this calmly and not in an impulsive manner. For there were other matters that needed to be attended.

Such as a certain platinum-blonde rich girl… Oh, and her homework assignments…

…

The Junkyard…

It was a place few people ever visit… Unless you were getting rid of cars or other electronics that either no longer work or needed anymore. From rusted, broken down vehicles, to busted monitors, the area was filled with rust, sour, and other stenches. Also, it was a good place for private activities.

Very private activities…

Sighing, Cassidy looked down as she placed the finishing touches of a particular piece of equipment. Whether if it took days, weeks, or even months to complete, the top priority was that when it was finished, anything she made was within working order. And by working order, she meant that it was reliable. As in it wouldn't fail at the worst time possible. After all everything that she made would be what will keep her alive in fights to come.

"Okay…" She sighed as she glanced at the finished product: It appeared to be a gunmetal gray gauntlet with a matching glove attached. With a few notable vents at the upper area and a small bulb in the middle, she wondered if she managed to work out any bugs. Nevertheless, there was only one way to find out…

Slipping her right hand into the garment, Cassidy took a deep breath before walking towards a rusted convertible, "Here goes… "As if it read her mind, the bulb began to illuminate a pale yellow light as she grabbed onto a handle with her gloved hand. With as much force as possible, she squeezed it as she heard a crunching sound. Her fist closing more and more, she noted how the door began to bend as well… After a few seconds, Cassidy released her grip as she surveyed the result…

"Not bad…" Satisfied, she removed the gauntlet as she went over to her notebook, "With the gauntlet in hand I've managed to bend, even crush the metal of an old abandoned car. However, given the possibilities of rust and decay being a factor, the test may be a bit contaminated. A fresher source of metal must be utilized for testing purposes." Stopping the tape recorder, Cassidy reviewed her notes once more. The new Gaia armor she was working on was going as planned. Or at least the attachments… The gloves were to help enhance her strength. So far, all it has proven to be able to do was enhance her grip. The main use of this armor was for defense and durability. Unlike the Icarus armor which was for speed, flight, and maneuverability. Of course she couldn't rely on her beam bow and javelin. She would require a weapon that didn't rely so much on accuracy. A shield would work, but it would lack range – if the shield was circular and perhaps winged it may be remedied.

"You're working hard."

Blinking at the sound of the voice Cassidy looked behind, "Unlike some people I know…"

Zach held his hands up, "Hey, just because I like getting some Z's doesn't mean I don't put in my workload. So how's Project Gaia coming along?"

"Slow…" She sighed, "But at least it's been successful so far. The gauntlet is working well for one."

"So you have super strength now?"

"Super _grip_," She corrected. "I'll need the full armor itself for the leverage. Maybe add a few mounted guns and maybe a grapple…"

"Whoa hold on, isn't that a bit much? You're trying to maintain some mobility, right?"

"The main purpose of this armor is defense, meaning that it has to keep me firm and sturdy when in the heat of a fight. Mobility is a bit of a moot point, don'cha think?"

"Yeah, but even tanks know when to run."

"I could always switch to Icarus on the fly if I need to move _that_ badly." She sighed, "_If_ I can even incorporate an armor switch feature."

"I'm sure you can pull it off!" He placed a hand onto the shorter girl's shoulder, "You always do!"

She gave a soft smile, "Thanks. Since you're here, could you do something for me?"

"Sure, what's up?" Zach watched as Cassidy placed on the gauntlet.

"You know that sword of ice you've been working on?"

"Yeah?"

"Well…" The gauntlet now on, Cassidy closed the now-covered hand into a fist, "Let's put it to the test."

His eyes widened, knowing full well what she wanted him to do, "Seriously?"

"Very…" Her eyes narrowed, "C'mon Zach, no matter how sharp you make it, it's still basically ice."

"I know, but I've been trying to make it more durable. And even then it's already pretty sharp."

"It's freaking ice on metal, I doubt you'd be able to leave a scratch let alone a cut." Cassidy stated, almost goading him into trying to prove her wrong.

"Okay…" Zach sighed as he proceeded to put his ice powers to motion. Cassidy watched as the ice generating from his hands slowly began to take shape. First was the handle, then the hilt. And then finally came the formation of the most important component- the blade itself. The length seemed to be at four feet long with the blade curved slightly with the pointy tip so sharp even the lightest poke could cause blood to drip from the skin. She could tell that he was just keeping it simple: Otherwise he would've made the blade more serrated like he normally would. Not only would this be a test for her newfound gauntlet-aided strength, but also for the durability of Zach's ice constructs. She was able to crush metal, she should be able to crush the sword, let alone stop it in its place.

Her eyes widened as she saw Zach fly upward, "Wait, why are ya-"

"This'll be a test on both ends." He stated, holding the blade overhead with both hands. "You ready?"

'Could really use my plugsuit right about now…' This was risky. _Very_ risky. All she was wearing was loose jeans and a midriff top. She wasn't expecting Zach to show up, much less to do a field test obviously. There were factors that could cause injury to either of them: Zach missing, the ice shrapnel from the shattered sword, just to name a couple. When it came to testing new gear or skills under such hazardous conditions, the only ones they trusted were each other. Still, it didn't eliminate the fear she was feeling right now. But she knew she couldn't back down now. "Give it your best shot!" As if to oblige her, she watched as Zach made a mad dash downward towards her, sword held high…

…

"Damn…" Zach shook his head, "Thought it was more durable than that!"

"It's like I said," Cassidy grinned, "No matter how hard you make it, it's still ice. So when it's up against metal, it's a freaking forgone conclusion!" Removing the gauntlet, "A painful, foregone conclusion… Ow…"

"Aw, poor baby… Let me see…" Grabbing her sore hand, Zack placed a few ice cubes into the palm before closing it. "That should cool it down a bit."

She gave a thankful smile, "Thanks."

"Well anyway, gotta head home. Teags' been wanting to spar and they won't let her in the ring yet."

"Try not to hurt her too much!" She smirked as she watched him leave. For the most part, the test has been successful thus far. Then again, the subjects were rusted, decayed metal and glorified ice. She would need to use a stronger alloy to see some real results.

"Anyway, back to work…" Returning to her bench, Cassidy resumed working on what she hoped to be a complete set of new battle armor. 'If I can get anything else done…'

**Hayden Manor**

"Shut up!" Bonnie scoffed as she laid down chest downward, bare feet dangling in the air, while talking on her cell phone. "You mean there's a new Squad Captain position open?"

"_Yeah, but it's not simple!"_

"How can it not be simple, Lex?" Bonnie wrote a few words into a notebook before turning a page of what appeared to be an Algebra II book. "Their old squad captain's gone, so they obviously need a new one. And hey, with my skills and not to mention experience, I should be a great fit! After all, back at my old school I was Squad Captain for a while!"

"_A while?" So you weren't Squad Captain for very long?"_

"It was only on a trial basis, but that's beside the point! I have the experience and not to mention my awesome management and leadership skills. Why wouldn't I be Squad Captain material?"

"_There is the fact that you actually need to try out first!"_

"Please, with my resume they'll be begging me to lead, let alone join the squad!" She heard a beep from the phone, "Anyway Lex, I'll call you back. Got a call to pick up."

"_Okay, bye Bonnie."_

The connection broken, she let out a sigh, "Now what…" Answering the call, "Hello?"

"_Bonnie?"_

She blinked, "Doug? H-hi! How'd you get this number?"

"_Alexis told me. I was meaning to ask you earlier, but it always seemed to escape my mind."_

"Not that I'm complaining –about the number I mean. Anyway, how are you?"

"_I am fine. But Bonnie listen… Are you doing anything tonight?"_

"NO! …No, I'm not doing anything in particular." She said. While this seemed to be a pleasant surprise, she didn't want to come off as desperate either. "What's up?"

"_Well, seeing that you are free, would you like to accompany me to gathering? Me and my friends are holding a little get together where we're supposed to bring our significant others."_

"And you want me to come as yours?" Bonnie wasn't sure what to think about this. On one hand, Doug was so cute enough for her to already be out the door, let alone say yes. Then again, there was the elephant in the room. "What about Nevaeh?"

She heard Doug sigh on the other end, _"Nevaeh and I are friends. We've known each other since our playgroup years ago. But frankly she can be a bit…"_

"Annoyingly self-centered?"

"_I wouldn't put it that way, but she does seem to get a bit worked up if I talk to any other girl that isn't her. She's even cautious if I even say hi to her friends."_

Bonnie scoffed, "Somebody's got entitlement issues…"

"_It's not her fault. Her father's… easily distracted when it comes to her. I know that he means well, but things just turn out to be unfortunate. Although Nevaeh see things differently…"_

"Whatever her ish is, she needs to get real and deal. No reason to take it out on everyone else." Tired of talking about Nevaeh, "So how long should it take you to arrive?"

"…_You accept my invitation?"_

Bonnie was no longer on the bed as she went toward her closet, "Duh! I'm asking you for a timeframe so I'll know how long I have to get ready!"

"_I should be at your house within 30 minutes."_

She pulled out a white short-sleeved top, "30 minutes? Good enough for me."

"_Excellent! I'll see you then!"_

"Bye!" The connection broken, a wide smile was found on the brunette's face. "Yes!" She cheered. It's only been the first day and already she scored a hottie! Despite Nevaeh's efforts, of course. As she searched through the row of hung clothes, she figured she could take a quick shower before finishing dressing. She couldn't help but wonder what his friends would be like. If they were nothing like Brick's friends, then automatically it would be a step up. She was rich girl after all and she needed to have better taste than those band of idiots. Then again, she did associate with commoners like Zach Asters so she couldn't be too picky. As long as they keep their hands to themselves, there shouldn't be any problems. At any case, what was nearly derailed into a bad day was quickly saved the knight-in-shining armor that was Doug Al Sheeb. She couldn't wait to just rub it into Nevaeh's face. After all, when one thought about it, Bonnie came off looking sympathetic due to Nevaeh's actions, so in theory, Nevaeh actually did her a favor.

**20 minutes later…**

As the leg went through the leg of her dark-colored jeans, Bonnie fastened the buttons before sliding on a backless red top. It seemed to be as if it were made from a bandana – a bit risqué, but it didn't show too much. Returning to the closet, she kneeled down as she searched for the shoes that she wanted to wear. After moving a few boxes, she grabbed a silver colored shoebox. Those black peep toed ankle boots she wanted to wear at the Christmas party? Now was a good time to wear them!

Making sure the right amount of jewelry was placed on (Read: Just a simple bracelet), Bonnie did a final check as, coincidentally on cue, the doorbell ring. "That's okay Bennett, I got it." While may have gotten used to life as a rich girl, one of the things she still have trouble adjusting to is letting the butler get the door. She didn't know why that was. Maybe it was out of habit. She couldn't forget how many times she quickly rushed down the door to be picked up by Brick on his motorcycle. While the dates were satisfying (by his standards anyway), she always felt that there was something lacking. As she proceeded to open the door, "Doug! Hi, you're looking good!"

The young man in question was dressed in a long-sleeved black button-up with matching slacks. Save for his hair styled in a ponytail, "You look beautiful, Bonnie."

"Thank you!" Hidden was her surprised at his complement. She was expecting him to check her out. …Well he was, but it wasn't anything like the jocks back home. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"

"First a dinner, then a move, and then we'll meet with my friends. They're really interested in meeting you."

"Are any of them jocks?" She simply asked, just as a precaution.

"No, no… While they do participate in sporting events such as golf, I assure you that they're nothing like the ones you're more familiar with."

"That's a relief…" She smiled before turning back, "I'm leaving now Bennett. If my parents call, tell them I'm out with some friends."

"Be sure to return by 11 Miss Fidelia. I would hate to have your parents worry."

"Don't worry, I know to be back by curfew…" She assured as she and Doug proceeded to leave. It would be a dinner first, then a movie second. Then she would meet Doug's friends. The fact that he said that they're nothing like Brick Flagg and his ilk was relieving and satisfying, but she still can't help but wonder: Were they high-class elitists who would look down on her (She had high standards, too. Don't get her wrong), or were they more down to earth. Whatever the case, this would be an interesting night.

* * *

Next Chapter: Bonnie meets with Doug's friends, but what else would she find? Also, she tries out for Perry's cheer squad, but what will the squad think of Raquelle Hayden's sister.

**Chapter 12:** New Friends! The Perry Cheer Squad!


End file.
